net/smc: avoid NULL deref of conn->lnk in smc_msg_event tracepoint
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-476.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/smc: avoid NULL deref of conn->lnk in smc_msg_event tracepoint The smc_msg_event tracepoint class, shared by smc_tx_sendmsg and smc_rx_recvmsg, unconditionally dereferences smc->conn.lnk: __string(name, smc->conn.lnk->ibname) conn->lnk is only set for SMC-R; for SMC-D it is NULL. Other code on these paths already handles this (e.g. !conn->lnk in SMC_STAT_RMB_TX_SIZE_SMALL()). With the tracepoint enabled, the first sendmsg()/recvmsg() on an SMC-D socket crashes: Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [...] RIP: 0010:strlen+0x1e/0xa0 Call Trace: trace_event_raw_event_smc_msg_event (net/smc/smc_tracepoint.h:44) smc_rx_recvmsg (net/smc/smc_rx.c:515) smc_recvmsg (net/smc/af_smc.c:2859) __sys_recvfrom (net/socket.c:2315) __x64_sys_recvfrom (net/socket.c:2326) do_syscall_64 The faulting address 0x3e0 is offsetof(struct smc_link, ibname), confirming the NULL ->lnk deref. Enabling the tracepoint requires root, but the trigger itself is unprivileged: socket(AF_SMC, ...) has no capability check, and SMC-D negotiation needs no admin step on s390 or on x86 with the loopback ISM device loaded. Log an empty device name for SMC-D instead of dereferencing NULL.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 5.16 and later | 6.1.175, 6.6.142, 6.12.92, 6.18.34, 7.0.11, 7.1 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.16 and later Fixed in 6.1.175, 6.6.142, 6.12.92, 6.18.34, 7.0.11, 7.1 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 4
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.16 to before 6.1.175; 6.2 to before 6.6.142; 6.7 to before 6.12.92; 6.13 to before 6.18.34; 6.19 to before 7.0.11 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.1 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.1 rc2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.1 rc3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.16 to before 6.1.175; 6.2 to before 6.6.142; 6.7 to before 6.12.92; 6.13 to before 6.18.34; 6.19 to before 7.0.11 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.1 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.1 rc2 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.1 rc3 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.175, 6.6.142, 6.12.92, 6.18.34, 7.0.11, 7.1
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-52941
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-x48q-47qq-gv8g
- 2026-11-06 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Patch 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/68200112534bb2acd1d7117dc2d5c124868d866d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/720c76b930c52cd58f50eb6b10569d03dccc7959
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b706d6d76a2a2793fe5ad0fbc2a75b6a460094ef
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d2ea0b8aef8746e147602eac87ca8538f4bc7e66
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/561cf66fa9b6c86dfe4e687d2d1aeaaa6739917f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7bf563badd37cb796df5477d2b78bb64148a1268
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Sources
- CVE-2026-52941 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-52941 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-x48q-47qq-gv8g · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-52941 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences