CVE-2026-64139
Received Received - Intake

ksmbd DACL Size Overflow Memory Leak

Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-64139, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

Publication date: 2026-07-19

Last updated on: 2026-07-19

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: fix SID memory leak in set_posix_acl_entries_dacl() on overflow Commit 299f962c0b02 ("ksmbd: use check_add_overflow() to prevent u16 DACL size overflow") added check_add_overflow() guards that break out of the ACE-building loops in set_posix_acl_entries_dacl() when the accumulated DACL size would wrap past 65535. However, each iteration allocates a struct smb_sid via kmalloc_obj() at the top of the loop and relies on the kfree(sid) call at the end of the loop body (the 'pass_same_sid' label in the first loop, and the explicit kfree at the tail of the second loop) to release it. The newly introduced 'break' statements bypass those kfree() calls, leaking the sid buffer every time an overflow is detected. A malicious or malformed file with enough POSIX ACL entries to trip the overflow check will leak one or more struct smb_sid allocations on every request that touches the file's DACL, providing a trivial kernel memory exhaustion vector. Free sid before breaking out of the loops to plug the leak.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-07-19
Last Modified
2026-07-19
Generated
2026-07-20
AI Q&A
2026-07-19
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
EUVD

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 2 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel *
linux_kernel linux_kernel *

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This is a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ksmbd module. When processing POSIX ACL entries, the code allocates memory for struct smb_sid but fails to free it when detecting a size overflow in the DACL. The overflow check causes the loop to break early, bypassing the cleanup code that would normally free the allocated memory.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's ksmbd implementation and may not have direct network detection methods. Monitor kernel logs for memory exhaustion errors or ksmbd-related crashes. Check for unusual memory usage patterns in ksmbd processes using commands like 'dmesg | grep ksmbd' or 'top -p $(pgrep ksmbd)'.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this by creating a malformed file with many POSIX ACL entries to trigger the overflow check. This would cause the kernel to leak memory each time the file's DACL is accessed, eventually exhausting available memory and leading to system instability or crashes.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability causes kernel memory exhaustion through leaked struct smb_sid allocations when processing malformed POSIX ACL entries. While not directly violating GDPR or HIPAA, such memory leaks could lead to system instability or crashes, potentially disrupting access controls or audit logging required by these regulations.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest kernel patches that include the fix for this issue. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling the ksmbd service temporarily with 'systemctl stop smbd' or 'systemctl disable smbd' to prevent exploitation until patched.

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