Skip to main content
VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-31444: Linux kernel · ksmbd: fix use-after-free and NULL deref in smb_grant_oplock()

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.8 Critical · fixed in 6.17.0-1021.24~24.04.1 : patch Linux kernel as a priority.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
9.8Critical
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 38% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in 6.17.0-1021.24~24.04.1, 6.17.0-1030.30, 6.17.0-1018.20~24.04.1
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 22 Apr 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

What to do

Upgrade the Ubuntu to 6.17.0-1021.24~24.04.1 (linux-gcp-6.17 package) or 6.17.0-1030.30 (linux-oem-6.17 package) or 6.17.0-1018.20~24.04.1 (linux-realtime-6.17 package).

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Ubuntu 25.10linuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux@6.17.0-40.40?arch=source&distro=questingOther threatsAffected
  • 6.14.0-15.15 – 6.17.0-40.40
20 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 25.10linux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws@6.17.0-1019.19?arch=source&distro=questingOther threatsAffected
  • 6.14.0-1005.5 – 6.17.0-1019.19
17 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 25.10linux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure@6.17.0-1020.20?arch=source&distro=questingOther threatsAffected
  • 6.14.0-1004.4 – 6.17.0-1020.20
16 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 25.10linux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp@6.17.0-1020.22?arch=source&distro=questingOther threatsAffected
  • 6.14.0-1006.6 – 6.17.0-1020.22
17 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 25.10linux-oraclepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-oracle@6.17.0-1018.18?arch=source&distro=questingOther threatsAffected
  • 6.14.0-1005.5 – 6.17.0-1018.18
16 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 25.10linux-realtimepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-realtime@6.17.0-1017.19?arch=source&distro=questingOther threatsAffected
  • 6.14.0-1002.2 – 6.17.0-1017.19
14 affected builds
Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: fix use-after-free and NULL deref in smb_grant_oplock() smb_grant_oplock() has two issues in the oplock publication sequence: 1) opinfo is linked into ci->m_op_list (via opinfo_add) before add_lease_global_list() is called. If add_lease_global_list() fails (kmalloc returns NULL), the error path frees the opinfo via __free_opinfo() while it is still linked in ci->m_op_list. Concurrent m_op_list readers (opinfo_get_list, or direct iteration in smb_break_all_levII_oplock) dereference the freed node. 2) opinfo->o_fp is assigned after add_lease_global_list() publishes the opinfo on the global lease list. A concurrent find_same_lease_key() can walk the lease list and dereference opinfo->o_fp->f_ci while o_fp is still NULL. Fix by restructuring the publication sequence to eliminate post-publish failure: - Set opinfo->o_fp before any list publication (fixes NULL deref). - Preallocate lease_table via alloc_lease_table() before opinfo_add() so add_lease_global_list() becomes infallible after publication. - Keep the original m_op_list publication order (opinfo_add before lease list) so concurrent opens via same_client_has_lease() and opinfo_get_list() still see the in-flight grant. - Use opinfo_put() instead of __free_opinfo() on err_out so that the RCU-deferred free path is used. This also requires splitting add_lease_global_list() to take a preallocated lease_table and changing its return type from int to void, since it can no longer fail.

References

Community reviews

Loading reviews…