ksmbd: reject non-VALID session in compound request branch
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-476.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: reject non-VALID session in compound request branch smb2_check_user_session() takes a shortcut for any operation that is not the first in a COMPOUND request: it reuses work->sess (the session bound by the first operation) and validates only the SessionId, then returns "valid". It never re-checks work->sess->state == SMB2_SESSION_VALID, and a SessionId of 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF (ULLONG_MAX, the MS-SMB2 related-operation value) skips even the id comparison. The standalone path (ksmbd_session_lookup_all() plus the SESSION_SETUP state machine) does enforce the VALID state; the compound branch bypasses all of it. A SESSION_SETUP carrying only an NTLM Type-1 (NtLmNegotiate) blob publishes a fresh SMB2_SESSION_IN_PROGRESS session whose sess->user is still NULL (->user is assigned later, by ntlm_authenticate()). Used as operation 1 of a COMPOUND with operation 2 = TREE_CONNECT (related, SessionId=ULLONG_MAX, \\host\IPC$), the tree-connect then runs on that IN_PROGRESS session and reaches ksmbd_ipc_tree_connect_request(), which dereferences user_name(sess->user) with sess->user == NULL (transport_ipc.c:687/701/704) -> remote NULL-pointer dereference and a kernel Oops that wedges the ksmbd worker for all clients. Reject any non-first compound operation that lands on a session which is not SMB2_SESSION_VALID, mirroring the validity the standalone lookup path enforces. SESSION_SETUP itself legitimately runs on an IN_PROGRESS session, but it is never carried as a non-first compound operation, so multi-leg authentication is unaffected by this check.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 5.15.121 to before 5.15.211; 6.1.36 to before 6.1.177; 6.3.10 to before 6.4 | 5.15.211, 6.1.177, 6.4 | Patch available | CNA |
| Linux | Linux | 6.4 and later | 5.15.211, 6.1.177, 6.6.144, 6.12.95, 6.18.37, 7.0.14, 7.1.2, 7.2 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.15.121 to before 5.15.211; 6.1.36 to before 6.1.177; 6.3.10 to before 6.4 Fixed in 5.15.211, 6.1.177, 6.4 Patch available CNA
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.4 and later Fixed in 5.15.211, 6.1.177, 6.6.144, 6.12.95, 6.18.37, 7.0.14, 7.1.2, 7.2 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 2
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.15.121 to before 5.15.211; 6.1.36 to before 6.1.177; 6.3.10 to before 6.4; 6.4.1 to before 6.6.144; 6.7 to before 6.12.95; 6.13 to before 6.18.37; 6.19 to before 7.0.14; 7.1 to before 7.1.2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.4:-:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.4 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.15.121 to before 5.15.211; 6.1.36 to before 6.1.177; 6.3.10 to before 6.4; 6.4.1 to before 6.6.144; 6.7 to before 6.12.95; 6.13 to before 6.18.37; 6.19 to before 7.0.14; 7.1 to before 7.1.2 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.4:-:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.4 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.15.211, 6.1.177, 6.4
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.15.211, 6.1.177, 6.6.144, 6.12.95, 6.18.37, 7.0.14, 7.1.2, 7.2
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 5 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-53383
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-pgwm-2698-9pp5
- 2026-10-06 EPSS moved to the 50th–90th percentile
- 2026-10-13 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-20 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Patch 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/25ff12b82a376ff5c4583102a63d2456a6b9ebb9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fc578523a72cb8b329d32070b95898e81613cc3f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d2bbbb6c55812220fee5d801c275cc267ea3cbeb
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8f0302fb691537d33ec8f668565257ea9d340ffe
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7cad3ceaf679c55bc9946685dacafce78ce6b51a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/06e1f05a1dbe8bbd054c0927b17fc0a61cc8bef7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5f983b864d3d473ac533b2f4f44a1bbe5dcbccf4
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/609ca17d869d04ba249e32cdcbf13c0b1c66f43c
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- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2026-53383 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-53383 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-pgwm-2698-9pp5 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-53383 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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