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Linux Kernel CVE-2026-52996

| EUVDEUVD-2026-38864 MEDIUM
Memory Leak (CWE-401)
2026-06-24 Linux GHSA-w2x4-6hp6-4hc7
5.5
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY
5.5 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
vuln.today AI
6.5 MEDIUM

ksmbd is network-accessible via SMB, so AV:N overrides the NVD AV:L; SMB authentication required sets PR:L; no C or I impact per description.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE
MEDIUM
qualitative

Primary rating from NVD.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

5
Analysis Generated
Jul 15, 2026 - 15:16 vuln.today
CVSS changed
Jul 15, 2026 - 13:07 NVD
5.5 (MEDIUM)
Patch available
Jun 24, 2026 - 18:02 EUVD
CVE Published
Jun 24, 2026 - 16:29 nvd
MEDIUM 5.5
CVE Published
Jun 24, 2026 - 16:29 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)

DescriptionNVD

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ksmbd: fix durable fd leak on ClientGUID mismatch in durable v2 open

ksmbd_lookup_fd_cguid() returns a ksmbd_file with its refcount incremented via ksmbd_fp_get(). parse_durable_handle_context() in the DURABLE_REQ_V2 case properly releases this reference on every path inside the ClientGUID-match branch, either by calling ksmbd_put_durable_fd() or by transferring ownership to dh_info->fp for a successful reconnect. However, when an entry exists in the global file table with the same CreateGuid but a different ClientGUID, the code simply falls through to the new-open path without dropping the reference obtained from ksmbd_lookup_fd_cguid().

Per MS-SMB2 section 3.3.5.9.10 ("Handling the SMB2_CREATE_DURABLE_HANDLE_REQUEST_V2 Create Context"), the server MUST locate an Open whose Open.CreateGuid matches the request's CreateGuid AND whose Open.ClientGuid matches the ClientGuid of the connection that received the request. If no such Open is found, the server MUST continue with the normal open execution phase. A CreateGuid hit with a ClientGUID mismatch is therefore the "Open not found" case: proceeding with a new open is correct, but the reference obtained purely as a side effect of the lookup must not be leaked.

Repeated requests that hit this mismatch pin global_ft entries, prevent __ksmbd_close_fd() from ever running for the corresponding files, and defeat the durable scavenger, leading to long-lived resource leaks.

Release the reference in the mismatch path and clear dh_info->fp so subsequent logic does not mistake a non-matching lookup result for a reconnect target.

AnalysisAI

Resource exhaustion in the Linux kernel ksmbd SMB server allows a low-privileged authenticated SMB client to leak kernel file descriptor references by sending repeated SMB2 CREATE requests with a DURABLE_HANDLE_REQUEST_V2 context that produces a CreateGuid hit but a ClientGUID mismatch. Each such request increments the refcount on a ksmbd_file via ksmbd_fp_get() in ksmbd_lookup_fd_cguid() but the mismatch code path never calls the matching release, causing global_ft entries to be pinned indefinitely. Over time this defeats the durable file scavenger and causes long-lived kernel resource leaks that can degrade or deny availability. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis and EPSS is 0.19% (9th percentile), indicating low opportunistic exploitation probability.

Technical ContextAI

ksmbd is the in-kernel SMB2/3 server implementation introduced in Linux 5.15. The vulnerability resides in parse_durable_handle_context() when processing the SMB2_CREATE_DURABLE_HANDLE_REQUEST_V2 create context (MS-SMB2 §3.3.5.9.10). ksmbd_lookup_fd_cguid() searches the global file table for an Open whose Open.CreateGuid matches the request and increments the matched entry's reference count via ksmbd_fp_get() as a side effect. The code correctly releases this reference on all paths within the ClientGUID-match branch (via ksmbd_put_durable_fd() or by transferring ownership to dh_info->fp on successful reconnect), but omits the corresponding ksmbd_put_durable_fd() call when the CreateGuid matches and the ClientGUID does not - the 'Open not found' case per the MS-SMB2 specification. CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime) applies: the refcount increment is a necessary side effect of the lookup, but the corresponding decrement is absent on this branch, causing the kernel object to remain live until system reboot or manual intervention. CPE indicates affected products are cpe:2.3:a:linux:linux across multiple stable branches.

RemediationAI

The primary fix is to upgrade to a patched Linux kernel version: 6.6.141, 6.12.91, 6.18.33, 7.0.10, or 7.1 depending on the stable series in use. Upstream fix commits are available at https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/06f709d0e531f3e54d88665dd426be3998a774e6 (and sibling commits for other stable branches) for operators who need to backport manually. If upgrading immediately is not feasible, the most effective compensating control is to disable the ksmbd module entirely if it is not required (rmmod ksmbd; prevent autoload via /etc/modprobe.d/), which eliminates the attack surface entirely at the cost of losing in-kernel SMB serving capability. If ksmbd must remain active, restrict access to the SMB service (TCP 445) at the firewall to a minimal set of trusted client IP addresses to reduce the pool of principals that can send crafted DURABLE_REQ_V2 contexts - note this does not prevent exploitation by authorized SMB users. Additionally, monitoring for abnormal growth of kernel slab caches associated with ksmbd (ksmbd_file, ksmbd_fp) can serve as a detection signal for active exploitation.

Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Moderate
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Not-Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Not-Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 Not-Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 Not-Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.0 Affected

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CVE-2026-52996 vulnerability details – vuln.today

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