VulnerabilityPublished 6 Oct 2026Updated 30 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98172: Linux kernel · smb: client: fix smbd_connection leak on cifs_get_tcp_session() error

Source GCVE Database

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Authoritative record:CVE-2026-98172· Low

Not known to be exploited · fixed in e3344bb0ff5ec8a276f42239e140f5442841ef23 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 17:19 UTC

Severity

Low

Rated Low by Threat Radar's AI analysis · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

Patch: Available – fixed in e3344bb0ff5ec8a276f42239e140f5442841ef23, e75c96157d45e498970158c8f7373d90102e33b9, c295f6505aec085d73e8dcea9f648c8af1b9da8c +5

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 6 Oct 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 30 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

ghsa-h5hv-w97x-4565

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 2f8946464b11822169b9f10c7cf58a2440b51d54, < e3344bb0ff5ec8a276f42239e140f5442841ef23	Fixed in e3344bb0ff5ec8a276f42239e140f5442841ef23
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 2f8946464b11822169b9f10c7cf58a2440b51d54, < e75c96157d45e498970158c8f7373d90102e33b9	Fixed in e75c96157d45e498970158c8f7373d90102e33b9
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 2f8946464b11822169b9f10c7cf58a2440b51d54, < c295f6505aec085d73e8dcea9f648c8af1b9da8c	Fixed in c295f6505aec085d73e8dcea9f648c8af1b9da8c
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 2f8946464b11822169b9f10c7cf58a2440b51d54, < b26a3fcf2f1c2cadba400290b639f01395db8fc8	Fixed in b26a3fcf2f1c2cadba400290b639f01395db8fc8
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 2f8946464b11822169b9f10c7cf58a2440b51d54, < 3164402c58940ff58a3cecdb026405f07b0253af	Fixed in 3164402c58940ff58a3cecdb026405f07b0253af
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 2f8946464b11822169b9f10c7cf58a2440b51d54, < 928edc4bd6a617caabeb575fc13c254d9df623c4	Fixed in 928edc4bd6a617caabeb575fc13c254d9df623c4

AI-suggested

A fix is available that properly destroys the smbd_connection object in the error path of cifs_get_tcp_session(). Users should apply the updated Linux kernel version containing this fix. No other mitigation is indicated.

Description

A resource leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel SMB client was fixed. The flaw occurred when an RDMA connection was established but a subsequent TCP session setup failed, causing a smbd_connection object to not be properly destroyed, leading to a memory leak.

Impact

The vulnerability causes a resource leak (memory leak) in the Linux kernel SMB client during certain error conditions in session setup. While it does not directly lead to code execution or privilege escalation, the leak could degrade system stability or performance over time if triggered repeatedly.

Summary

CVE-2026-98172 addresses a resource management issue in the Linux kernel SMB client code. Specifically, when an RDMA connection is successfully created via smbd_get_connection(), but cifs_get_tcp_session() fails (for example, due to kthread_create() error), the error handling path frees the tcp_ses object without first destroying the associated smbd_connection. This results in a smbd_connection leak. The fix involves calling smbd_destroy() unconditionally in the error cleanup path before freeing tcp_ses, ensuring proper release of resources even if smbd_conn is NULL.

References

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