CVE-2026-98173

CVE Details

Release Date:	2026-10-06
Impact:	Moderate	What is this?

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb: client: fix use-after-free of iface in cifs_try_adding_channels() cifs_try_adding_channels() iterates ses->iface_list with list_for_each_entry_safe_from(), which captures the next entry (niface) under iface_lock. The loop body then drops iface_lock for the whole duration of cifs_ses_add_channel(). A concurrent interface refresh (SMB3_request_interfaces() -> parse_server_interfaces()) marks all ifaces inactive and removes and frees any that are not re-advertised via list_del() + kref_put(), where release_iface() is a bare kfree(). Since niface typically has no channel holding a reference, the list reference is its last and it can be freed inside the unlocked window. On continue, the iterator advance step then dereferences niface->iface_head.next, and the loop body reads iface->rdma_capable/is_active, both on freed memory. Fix this by never keeping an unreferenced list pointer across the unlocked window. Each channel attempt now re-scans the list from the head under iface_lock, takes a kref on the selected candidate, and passes only that referenced candidate to cifs_ses_add_channel(). weight_fulfilled still tracks selection progress, so restarting the scan preserves the original weighted distribution and the weight_fulfilled-before-kref_put ordering on the failure path. Add a per-pass attempts cap so a flapping interface refresh cannot keep the inner loop spinning within a single tries increment.

See more information about CVE-2026-98173 from MITRE CVE dictionary and NIST NVD

NOTE: The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.

CVSS v3 metrics

Base Score:	3.3
Vector String:	CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
Version:	3.1
Attack Vector:	Local
Attack Complexity:	Low
Privileges Required:	Low
User Interaction:	None
Scope:	Unchanged
Confidentiality Impact:	None
Integrity Impact:	None
Availability Impact:	Low

Errata information

Platform	Errata	Release Date
Oracle Linux version 10 (kernel-uek)	ELSA-2026-500572	2026-11-02
Oracle Linux version 9 (kernel-uek)	ELSA-2026-500572	2026-11-02