Privilege escalation via persistent setuid and setgid bits
Published Sep 11, 2026 · Updated Sep 11, 2026
Improper privilege management in the Linux kernel allows local users to gain privileges through a modified file on a CIFS mount. The cifs_setattr_unix() and cifs_setattr_nounix() paths discard ATTR_MODE while handling ATTR_KILL_SUID or ATTR_KILL_SGID, so the cleared mode is not sent to the server. The flaw requires cifsacl, modefromsid, SMB3.1.1 POSIX extensions, or SMB1 Unix extensions and leaves setuid or setgid bits effective for later execution.
Summary
What happened
Improper privilege management in the Linux kernel allows local users to gain privileges through a modified file on a CIFS mount. The cifs_setattr_unix() and cifs_setattr_nounix() paths discard ATTR_MODE while handling ATTR_KILL_SUID or ATTR_KILL_SGID, so the cleared mode is not sent to the server. The flaw requires cifsacl, modefromsid, SMB3.1.1 POSIX extensions, or SMB1 Unix extensions and leaves setuid or setgid bits effective for later execution.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-89638
- Published
- Sep 11, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1548.001
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 11, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 11, 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=2.6.24
- Affected versionversion=d32c4f2626acc385d5187bd5c0c24f442328dc60 <69bfe810ecd1e0387d8975d711cd326341d13c6e
- Affected versionversion=d32c4f2626acc385d5187bd5c0c24f442328dc60 <b10015807e4c628095d1d1d1c9307efc8cdd9e1b
- Affected versionversion=d32c4f2626acc385d5187bd5c0c24f442328dc60 <b8e5dc4f95e5484159b343903f302eb6d783f2e6
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
No CVSS assessment is available in this record.
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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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