VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98452: Linux kernel · smb: client: clean up failed cached directory opens

Source GCVE Database

Authoritative record:CVE-2026-98452· Medium

Not known to be exploited · fixed in d2ff5fb93ea83034025850266b5eed391f96b825 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in d2ff5fb93ea83034025850266b5eed391f96b825, abab661eed00fa102d3c35ddf1cce4f687e718c1, 48958ddda3d7eee3600261e2d90671f63e055dc4 +1

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 18 Oct 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.

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.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, 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-h9j7-fw85-wm4j

What to do

Upgrade Linux kernel to d2ff5fb93ea83034025850266b5eed391f96b825, abab661eed00fa102d3c35ddf1cce4f687e718c1, 48958ddda3d7eee3600261e2d90671f63e055dc4 or 7c1509598a4fdfb54cb09ce33e4405bd6dbd8295.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ b0f6df737a1c5d9d5ff90cc946205d8af46cc067, < d2ff5fb93ea83034025850266b5eed391f96b825	Fixed in d2ff5fb93ea83034025850266b5eed391f96b825
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ b0f6df737a1c5d9d5ff90cc946205d8af46cc067, < abab661eed00fa102d3c35ddf1cce4f687e718c1	Fixed in abab661eed00fa102d3c35ddf1cce4f687e718c1
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ b0f6df737a1c5d9d5ff90cc946205d8af46cc067, < 48958ddda3d7eee3600261e2d90671f63e055dc4	Fixed in 48958ddda3d7eee3600261e2d90671f63e055dc4
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ b0f6df737a1c5d9d5ff90cc946205d8af46cc067, < 7c1509598a4fdfb54cb09ce33e4405bd6dbd8295	Fixed in 7c1509598a4fdfb54cb09ce33e4405bd6dbd8295
LinuxLinux	Affected =5.1	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel to address this vulnerability. Users should update to the fixed kernel version once it is available. No additional mitigation steps are indicated by the vendor advisory.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel SMB client related to handling cached directory opens has been resolved. The issue involved improper handling of compound SMB2 requests where a successful CREATE operation followed by an error in a subsequent command could lead to incorrect resource cleanup. The fix ensures proper validation of CREATE responses, correct tracking of file identifiers (FIDs), and appropriate handling of reconnect requests and close operations.

Impact

Improper handling of SMB2 compound requests could lead to resource mismanagement such as failure to close file handles properly. This may cause resource leaks or inconsistent SMB client state. No direct exploit or active attacks are reported. The impact is primarily on SMB client stability and resource cleanup correctness.

Summary

The vulnerability in the Linux kernel SMB client concerned the open_cached_dir() function, which sends CREATE and QUERY_INFO commands as a compound request. If the CREATE command succeeded but a later command failed, the function previously did not correctly retain the CREATE FID, potentially causing improper cleanup. The patch validates the CREATE response before using its fields, records the FIDs, marks the handle as open before processing errors from later commands, and adjusts reconnect handling to avoid missing reconnect requests. It also improves handle counting and close response processing to ensure proper resource management.

References

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