CIFS state corruption via mismatched tcon locking
Published May 6, 2026 · Updated May 6, 2026
Improper locking in the Linux kernel CIFS client in affected 6.x builds allows remote attackers to corrupt tcon reference accounting via SMB traffic. The cached-directory cleanup and cancelled-close paths update tc_count while holding cifs_tcp_ses_lock instead of the tcon-specific tc_lock, allowing concurrent updates to race. Exploitation requires interaction with an attacker-controlled SMB service and user interaction; the CNA reports confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact but does not disclose a specific end state.
Summary
What happened
Improper locking in the Linux kernel CIFS client in affected 6.x builds allows remote attackers to corrupt tcon reference accounting via SMB traffic. The cached-directory cleanup and cancelled-close paths update tc_count while holding cifs_tcp_ses_lock instead of the tcon-specific tc_lock, allowing concurrent updates to race. Exploitation requires interaction with an attacker-controlled SMB service and user interaction; the CNA reports confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact but does not disclose a specific end state.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-43215
- Published
- May 6, 2026
- Updated
- May 6, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux Kernel
- Classifications
- CWE-667
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 6, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 6, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <3969db6b22e3d90d8c5f22ac1a7fe0350a94c136
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <601dd3b79769b38d30b693c40afdb2a4b7edf9d0
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <8c59eeeeffa1524ef57e173a89a1a3ff539888d5
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <953953abb66e52c224057ab91e404284fefeab62
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <96c4af418586ee9a6aab61738644366426e05316
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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