CVE-2026-23205
BaseFortify
Publication date: 2026-02-14
Last updated on: 2026-03-18
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
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Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.19 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.19 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.19 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.19 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.19 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.19 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.19 |
| linux | linux_kernel | 6.19 |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 6.1.141 (inc) to 6.1.163 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 6.12.31 (inc) to 6.12.70 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 6.14.9 (inc) to 6.18.10 (exc) |
| linux | linux_kernel | From 6.6.93 (inc) to 6.6.124 (exc) |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-401 | The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, making the memory unavailable for reallocation and reuse. |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability is a memory leak in the Linux kernel's SMB client implementation, specifically in the smb2_open_file() function. It occurs when using the CIFS protocol to mount a read-only exported directory from a server, perform file operations, unmount the directory, and then remove the CIFS kernel module. During this process, some memory objects are not properly freed, leading to leftover objects in the kernel's memory cache.
The issue manifests as warnings about objects remaining in the slab cache during module removal, indicating that the kernel's memory management routines did not clean up all allocated resources related to CIFS requests.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This memory leak can cause increased memory usage in the kernel over time when mounting and unmounting CIFS shares, potentially leading to resource exhaustion or degraded system performance. It may also cause warnings or errors during module removal, which could affect system stability or complicate debugging.
How does this vulnerability affect compliance with common standards and regulations (like GDPR, HIPAA)?:
I don't know
How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?
This vulnerability can be detected by reproducing the conditions that trigger the memory leak in the smb2_open_file() function of the Linux kernel's CIFS client.
- Mount a read-only exported directory from the server using: mount -t cifs //${server_ip}/export /mnt
- Write data to a file on the mounted directory using: dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/file bs=512 count=1000 oflag=direct
- Unmount the mounted directory: umount /mnt
- Remove the CIFS kernel module: modprobe -r cifs
If the vulnerability is present, the kernel logs will show error messages such as "BUG cifs_small_rq (Not tainted): Objects remaining on __kmem_cache_shutdown()" and warnings related to slab cache objects still existing during module removal.
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
I don't know