Stale channels in Linux kernel ksmbd cause use-after-free
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
The Linux kernel ksmbd component in versions from 5.15.222 before 5.16 is affected. When a connection clears its binding flag and later disconnects, it leaves a stale channel that points to a freed connection structure on another session's channel list. A low-privileged remote attacker can trigger a use-after-free write during teardown, which can affect confidentiality, integrity and availability.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: remove stale channels from all sessions on teardown ksmbd_sessions_deregister() removes a connection's channels from other sessions' channel lists only while conn->binding is still set: if (conn->binding) { hash_for_each_safe(sessions_table, ...) ksmbd_chann_del(conn, sess); } conn->binding is a transient flag: it is cleared once a binding SESSION_SETUP completes, and also by a subsequent non-binding SESSION_SETUP on the same connection (a reauthentication on a bound channel, or a new SessionId==0 setup). A connection that has bound a channel into another session's ksmbd_chann_list and then clears conn->binding leaves that channel behind when it disconnects: the channel, whose chann->conn points at the now freed struct ksmbd_conn, stays on the owner session's list. When the owning connection later tears down, the second loop dereferences the stale channel: xa_for_each(&sess->ksmbd_chann_list, chann_id, chann) if (chann->conn != conn) ksmbd_conn_set_exiting(chann->conn); /* freed */ which is a use-after-free write into the freed ksmbd_conn (the same stale channel is also walked by show_proc_session() through /proc). The session is leaked as well, because its channel list never empties. Remove the conn->binding gate so a connection always removes its channels from every session on teardown.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
Update the Linux kernel to version 5.16 or later, which contains the fix.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.16
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 6 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
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-23 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98870
- 2026-10-23 Alias added: GHSA-wr5r-399q-pwfr
- 2026-10-24 CVSS score added · CNA
- 2026-10-24 Priority changed: LOW → MEDIUM
- 2026-10-24 Priority changed: MEDIUM → LOW
- 2026-10-26 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-26 CVSS score added · Red Hat
References
Other 5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f8200bb4994e65a2e5c5b314789eeae39078619d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9cd6d714d3ca0cff296542dc989696884e41970f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b145f9b56c87f9c23ad5464ab0844dbc1de12b36
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a15cae16f4432a5ad919ee633e31b07178492955
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b10665730fbf6b5e45fe422badcbbc3f0df96ef5
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Sources
- CVE-2026-98870 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98870 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-wr5r-399q-pwfr · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98870 · 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