high CVSS 8.8 EPSS 0.44%

CVE-2026-64437·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: fix use-after-free of a deferred file_lock on SMB2_CLOSE then SMB2_CANCEL Commit f580d27e8928 ("ksmbd: fix use-after-free of a deferred file_lock on double SMB2_CANCEL") made smb2_cancel() skip a work whose state is KSMBD_WORK_CANCELLED, so its cancel_fn cannot be fired a second time. But KSMBD_WORK has three states (ACTIVE, CANCELLED, CLOSED), and the same freeing producer path is reached for CLOSED too: SMB2_CLOSE on the locking handle -> set_close_state_blocked_works() sets the deferred work's state to KSMBD_WORK_CLOSED and wakes the smb2_lock() worker. The worker takes the non-ACTIVE early-exit, locks_free_lock()s the file_lock and, because the state is not KSMBD_WORK_CANCELLED, takes the STATUS_RANGE_NOT_LOCKED branch with "goto out2" -- which, like the cancelled branch, skips release_async_work(). The work stays on conn->async_requests with a live cancel_fn = smb2_remove_blocked_lock pointing at the freed file_lock. A subsequent SMB2_CANCEL for the same AsyncId then passes the KSMBD_WORK_CANCELLED-only guard (its state is KSMBD_WORK_CLOSED), so smb2_cancel() fires cancel_fn again over the freed file_lock -- the same use-after-free fixed, via SMB2_CLOSE instead of a first SMB2_CANCEL: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __locks_delete_block __locks_delete_block locks_delete_block ksmbd_vfs_posix_lock_unblock smb2_remove_blocked_lock smb2_cancel <- 2nd SMB2_CANCEL fires cancel_fn handle_ksmbd_work Allocated by ...: locks_alloc_lock <- smb2_lock Freed by ...: locks_free_lock <- smb2_lock (non-ACTIVE early-exit) ... cache file_lock_cache of size 192 Reproduced on mainline 7.1-rc7 (which already contains f580d27e8928) with KASAN by an authenticated SMB client; the double-SMB2_CANCEL control is silent on that kernel, so the splat is attributable to the CLOSE trigger. Only an ACTIVE deferred work may have its cancel_fn fired: both terminal states (CANCELLED and CLOSED) reach the smb2_lock() early-exit that frees the file_lock and skips release_async_work(). Guard on KSMBD_WORK_ACTIVE so any non-active work is skipped.

Severity
high
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
7.1.4
Published

How likely is exploitation

FIRST's Exploit Prediction Scoring System puts the probability of this CVE being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.44% — higher than 36% of all published CVEs. EPSS is an independent forecast of exploitation, not a severity rating: it says nothing about how much damage a successful attack does, which is what a CVSS score measures.

Read the two together. CVE-2026-64437 scores 8.8 on CVSS, so a successful attack would be serious — but at 0.44%, almost nobody is currently attempting it. That is a different situation from a flaw under mass exploitation, and it is usually the difference between patching on your next maintenance window and patching tonight.

Affected versions

From: 7.1.1

Until: 7.1.4

Fixed in: 7.1.4

How to fix this CVE

Update your Linux kernel to version 7.1.4 or later to resolve a use-after-free vulnerability in ksmbd's file locking mechanism. This flaw allows authenticated attackers to trigger memory corruption through a sequence of SMB2 operations (CLOSE followed by CANCEL). Apply the patch immediately on systems running kernels 7.1.1 through 7.1.3 that have ksmbd enabled.

sudo dnf update kernel

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Check installed kernel version: uname -r
  2. Verify ksmbd module is loaded: lsmod | grep ksmbd
  3. List active SMB/CIFS shares: smbclient -L localhost -U%
  4. Search system logs for ksmbd errors: grep -i 'ksmbd\|slab-use-after-free' /var/log/kern.log /var/log/messages
  5. Confirm patch applied: grep 'KSMBD_WORK_ACTIVE' /boot/config-$(uname -r) or check kernel git log for commits 10f293a07f9e or 12c36c99655f3

FAQ

What is CVE-2026-64437?

This is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ksmbd SMB server implementation. An authenticated attacker can trigger the flaw by closing a file with an active lock, then sending a CANCEL request, causing the kernel to access freed memory and potentially execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

Is CVE-2026-64437 being actively exploited?

No, this vulnerability is not listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, and no public exploits are currently available. However, it requires only SMB authentication and basic protocol knowledge, so exploitation risk remains moderate for exposed systems.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2026-64437?

Linux kernel versions 7.1.1, 7.1.2, and 7.1.3 are vulnerable. Version 7.1.4 and later contain the fix. Systems running older 7.0.x kernels or newer 7.2+ releases are not affected.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2026-64437?

Run 'uname -r' to get your kernel version. If it shows 7.1.1, 7.1.2, or 7.1.3, you are vulnerable. Also verify ksmbd is enabled with 'lsmod | grep ksmbd' — if the module is not present, the attack surface is eliminated.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2026-64437?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed kernel package versions against the NVD database. If your Linux kernel is running version 7.1.1–7.1.3, CVE-2026-64437 will appear in your Defensia dashboard with remediation steps and patch recommendations.

Related Kernel CVEs

CVE-2026-63795CVSS 10In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: 9p: avoid putting oldfid in p9_client_walk() error path When p9_client_walk() is called with clone set to false, fid aliases oldfid. If the walk subsequently fails after the request has been sent, the error path jumps to clunk_fid, which currently calls p9_fid_put(fid) unconditionally. This drops a reference to oldfid even though ownership of oldfid remains with the caller. If this is the last reference, oldfid can be clunked and destroyed while the caller still expects it to be valid. A later use or put of oldfid can then trigger a use-after-free or refcount underflow. Fix this by only putting fid in the clunk_fid error path when it does not alias oldfid, matching the existing guard in the error path below. This can be triggered when a multi-component walk is split into multiple p9_client_walk() calls and a later non-cloning walk fails. A reproducer and refcount warning logs are available on request.
CVE-2026-52955CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: libceph: Fix potential out-of-bounds access in crush_decode() A message of type CEPH_MSG_OSD_MAP containing a crush map with at least one bucket has two fields holding the bucket algorithm. If the values in these two fields differ, an out-of-bounds access can occur. This is the case because the first algorithm field (alg) is used to allocate the correct amount of memory for a bucket of this type, while the second algorithm field inside the bucket (b->alg) is used in the subsequent processing. This patch fixes the issue by adding a check that compares alg and b->alg and aborts the processing in case they differ. Furthermore, b->alg is set to 0 in this case, because the destruction of the crush map also uses this field to determine the bucket type, which can again result in an out-of-bounds access when trying to free the memory pointed to by the fields of the bucket. To correctly free the memory allocated for the bucket in such a case, the corresponding call to kfree is moved from the algorithm-specific crush_destroy_bucket functions to the generic crush_destroy_bucket().
CVE-2026-53384CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: serial: 8250_dw: unregister 8250 port if clk_notifier_register() fails dw8250_probe() registers the 8250 port via serial8250_register_8250_port() and then, if the device has a clock, registers a clock notifier. If clk_notifier_register() fails, probe returns the error but leaves the 8250 port registered. The matching serial8250_unregister_port() lives in dw8250_remove(), which is not called when probe fails, so the port slot stays occupied until the device is rebound or the system is rebooted. The devm-allocated driver data is freed while the port still references it (via the saved private_data and serial_in/serial_out callbacks), so any access to that port slot before a rebind is a use-after-free hazard. Unregister the port on the clk_notifier_register() error path.
CVE-2026-52931CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: batman-adv: tp_meter: avoid use of uninit sender vars batadv_tp_recv_ack() and batadv_tp_stop() are only valid for tp_vars in the BATADV_TP_SENDER role. When called with a BATADV_TP_RECEIVER role, it proceeds to read sender-only members that were never initialized, leading to undefined behavior. This can be triggered when a node that is currently acting as a receiver in an ongoing tp_meter session receives a malicious ACK packet. Guard against this by checking tp_vars->role immediately after the lookup and bailing out if it is not BATADV_TP_SENDER, before any of those members are accessed.
CVE-2026-52982CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: usb: rtl8150: fix use-after-free in rtl8150_start_xmit() syzbot reported a KASAN slab-use-after-free read in rtl8150_start_xmit() when accessing skb->len for tx statistics after usb_submit_urb() has been called: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in rtl8150_start_xmit+0x71f/0x760 drivers/net/usb/rtl8150.c:712 Read of size 4 at addr ffff88810eb7a930 by task kworker/0:4/5226 The URB completion handler write_bulk_callback() frees the skb via dev_kfree_skb_irq(dev->tx_skb). The URB may complete on another CPU in softirq context before usb_submit_urb() returns in the submitter, so by the time the submitter reads skb->len the skb has already been queued to the per-CPU completion_queue and freed by net_tx_action(): CPU A (xmit) CPU B (USB completion softirq) ------------ ------------------------------ dev->tx_skb = skb; usb_submit_urb() --+ |-------> write_bulk_callback() | dev_kfree_skb_irq(dev->tx_skb) | net_tx_action() | napi_skb_cache_put() <-- free netdev->stats.tx_bytes | += skb->len; <-- UAF read Fix it by caching skb->len before submitting the URB and using the cached value when updating the tx_bytes counter. The pre-existing tx_bytes semantics are preserved: the counter tracks the original frame length (skb->len), not the ETH_ZLEN/USB-alignment padded "count" value that is handed to the device. Changing that would be a user-visible accounting change and is out of scope for this UAF fix.

References

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