CVE-2026-72318: Linux kernel · cifs: validate DFS referral string offsets
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.4 Critical · fixed in 6.8.0-147.147 : patch Linux kernel as a priority.
Data as of 28 Oct 2026, 00:58 UTC
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 6.8.0-147.147, 6.8.0-1067.70, 7.0.0-1013.13~24.04.1 +27
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 15 Aug 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by 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 to a fixed release listed under Affected software.
Patches and advisories
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8781-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8816-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8816-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8816-3 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8816-4 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8888-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8888-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8917-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8918-1 (opens in a new tab)
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gkepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| 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: cifs: validate DFS referral string offsets parse_dfs_referrals() validates that the response header and referral array fit in the received buffer, but each referral also contains string offsets supplied by the server. Those offsets are used to compute the DfsPath and NetworkAddress string pointers without checking whether they still point inside the response buffer. A malformed referral can therefore make the computed pointer exceed the end of the buffer. The resulting negative max_len is then passed to cifs_strndup_from_utf16(), and the non-Unicode path forwards it to kstrndup() as a size_t, allowing strnlen() to read out of bounds. Validate each string offset before deriving the string pointer.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-72318 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72318 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/linus/027a84ac6b50c12ef767c15abfc58aa865820e9e (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/027a84ac6b50c12ef767c15abfc58aa865820e9e (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/76c607b9353d377b1d1b11db50e743eee0ccf658 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/929a85932d14190988f1eafd6ee8cc68d66ace0b (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/b784cd1c24d89bf71be2efe1e948ff7c03371e57 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/c37abc99bb3de3d3219ecef253d649f74117fd83 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/d64b6be5740ce230aca184d8d224c75d9866045d (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8781-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8816-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8816-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8816-3 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8816-4 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8888-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8888-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8917-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8918-1 (opens in a new tab)