Kernel resource leak via failed SMB Direct setup
Published Oct 6, 2026 · Updated Oct 6, 2026
A connection leak in the SMB Direct client in Linux leaves kernel resources allocated after an RDMA session setup failure. In cifs_get_tcp_session(), the error path frees tcp_ses without destroying the smbd_connection established by smbd_get_connection(). The leak requires a successful RDMA connection followed by a later setup error; the published patch does not establish that attackers can force that error.
Summary
What happened
A connection leak in the SMB Direct client in Linux leaves kernel resources allocated after an RDMA session setup failure. In cifs_get_tcp_session(), the error path frees tcp_ses without destroying the smbd_connection established by smbd_get_connection(). The leak requires a successful RDMA connection followed by a later setup error; the published patch does not establish that attackers can force that error.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-98172
- Published
- Oct 6, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 6, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- Unavailable
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 6, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 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=2f8946464b11822169b9f10c7cf58a2440b51d54 <3164402c58940ff58a3cecdb026405f07b0253af
- Affected versionversion=2f8946464b11822169b9f10c7cf58a2440b51d54 <5c908e49d349266dff0c86dda6a05df0ff19b824
- Affected versionversion=2f8946464b11822169b9f10c7cf58a2440b51d54 <928edc4bd6a617caabeb575fc13c254d9df623c4
- Affected versionversion=2f8946464b11822169b9f10c7cf58a2440b51d54 <b26a3fcf2f1c2cadba400290b639f01395db8fc8
- Affected versionversion=2f8946464b11822169b9f10c7cf58a2440b51d54 <e3344bb0ff5ec8a276f42239e140f5442841ef23
- Affected versionversion=2f8946464b11822169b9f10c7cf58a2440b51d54 <e75c96157d45e498970158c8f7373d90102e33b9
- Affected versionversion=4.16
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
No CVSS assessment is available in this record.
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
No sourced classifications are available.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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