Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
Network-reachable via SMB; PR:L for required authenticated session; C:H for controlled-offset heap leak; A:H for kernel crash potential; I:N as no write primitive is present.
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L
Primary rating from Vendor (Linux).
CVSS VectorVendor: Linux
Lifecycle Timeline
5DescriptionCVE.org
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ksmbd: validate num_subauth when copying ACE in set_ntacl_dacl
set_ntacl_dacl() copies each ACE from the attacker-controlled stored security descriptor verbatim into the response DACL without checking sid.num_subauth. The ACE bytes (including an unchecked num_subauth) originate from an authenticated SMB2_SET_INFO(SecInfo=DACL) that is stored raw via ksmbd_vfs_set_sd_xattr(); parse_dacl() rejects a bad ACE with break rather than an error, so parse_sec_desc() still returns success and the malformed SD reaches the xattr intact.
On a subsequent SMB2_QUERY_INFO(SecInfo=DACL) for an inode carrying a POSIX access ACL, build_sec_desc() -> set_ntacl_dacl() -> set_posix_acl_entries_dacl() walks the copied ACEs and reads
ntace->sid.sub_auth[ntace->sid.num_subauth - 1]
with num_subauth taken straight from the stored SD. Since sub_auth[] is fixed at SID_MAX_SUB_AUTHORITIES (15), a crafted num_subauth (e.g.
- drives an out-of-bounds heap read of ~1 KB with an offset fully
controlled by an authenticated client.
The sibling functions already gate this field: parse_dacl() -- num_subauth == 0 || > SID_MAX_SUB_AUTHORITIES parse_sid() -- num_subauth > SID_MAX_SUB_AUTHORITIES smb_copy_sid() -- min_t(u8, num_subauth, SID_MAX_SUB_AUTHORITIES) set_ntacl_dacl() is the lone inconsistent path that omits the check.
Add the same num_subauth validation in set_ntacl_dacl() before copying the ACE, matching the gate already enforced by parse_dacl().
AnalysisAI
Out-of-bounds heap read in the Linux kernel's ksmbd in-kernel SMB server allows an authenticated network attacker to disclose approximately 1 KB of kernel heap memory at an attacker-controlled offset and potentially crash the ksmbd service or host kernel. The flaw resides in set_ntacl_dacl(), which copies ACEs from a previously stored attacker-controlled security descriptor without validating sid.num_subauth against the fixed SID_MAX_SUB_AUTHORITIES (15) array bound, enabling a crafted num_subauth value of up to 255 to drive a sub_auth[] array overread. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis, and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV.
Technical ContextAI
ksmbd is the in-kernel SMB3 server (CONFIG_SMB_SERVER, kernel module ksmbd.ko) introduced in Linux 5.15, serving SMB2/3 traffic over TCP/445. The vulnerable code path is in fs/smb/server/smbacl.c: set_ntacl_dacl() is invoked during SMB2_QUERY_INFO(SecInfo=DACL) when the target inode carries a POSIX access ACL. A Windows NT SID structure has a variable-length sub_auth[] array with a compile-time maximum of SID_MAX_SUB_AUTHORITIES (15 elements); the runtime count is stored in the one-byte num_subauth field. The attack is a two-phase sequence: in phase one, an attacker sends SMB2_SET_INFO(SecInfo=DACL) with an ACE containing num_subauth=255; parse_dacl() encounters the invalid value but issues a break rather than a return error, so parse_sec_desc() returns success and the malformed security descriptor is persisted raw into the inode's security xattr via ksmbd_vfs_set_sd_xattr(). In phase two, a subsequent QUERY_INFO call on an inode with a POSIX ACL causes set_posix_acl_entries_dacl() to evaluate ntace->sid.sub_auth[ntace->sid.num_subauth - 1], accessing sub_auth[254] - approximately 960 bytes beyond the 15-element boundary - resulting in a CWE-125 out-of-bounds heap read. Sibling functions parse_dacl(), parse_sid(), and smb_copy_sid() all validate num_subauth against SID_MAX_SUB_AUTHORITIES; set_ntacl_dacl() was the sole omission. Affected CPE: cpe:2.3:a:linux:linux:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*.
RemediationAI
Upgrade to a patched kernel: 6.6.148 or later (6.6 LTS branch), 6.12.101 or later (6.12 LTS branch), 6.18.42 or later (6.18 branch), 7.1.6 or later (7.1 branch), or 7.2-rc2 or later for mainline testing. Upstream stable fix commits are available at git.kernel.org/stable (see References above). Distribution-packaged kernel updates from RHEL, Debian, Ubuntu, SUSE, and others should be monitored for availability. If an immediate kernel update is not feasible, the most effective compensating control is to disable ksmbd entirely by unloading the module (modprobe -r ksmbd) and blacklisting it in /etc/modprobe.d/ - this eliminates the attack surface completely but removes all in-kernel SMB serving capability; Samba (userspace smbd) can serve as a functional replacement without disrupting SMB shares. If ksmbd must remain active, restrict TCP/445 access to only trusted network segments and authenticated IP ranges using host-based firewall rules (nftables or iptables), reducing the attacker pool from any network-reachable principal to compromised internal credentials only - note this does not prevent exploitation by a legitimate low-privilege internal user. Additionally, removing POSIX ACLs from shared directories (setfacl --remove-all) eliminates the QUERY_INFO trigger path for information disclosure, though the availability (crash) vector may remain reachable via unmapped memory access.
Same technique Buffer Overflow
View allVendor StatusVendor
SUSE
Severity: Moderate| Product | Status |
|---|---|
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Legacy 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Legacy 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP7 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 LTSS EXTREME CORE | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 LTSS EXTREME CORE | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS Extended Security | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS Extended Security | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy LTS 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server LTS 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server LTS 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE CaaS Platform 4.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 6 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 7 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 7.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-ESPOS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-ESPOS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-ESPOS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-BCL | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-BCL | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-BCL | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.3 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.4 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.4 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.6 | Affected |
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External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-55481
GHSA-gx4w-gwrq-p4gh