KernelScan.io

HIGH

ksmbd ACE Buffer Overflow

CVE-2026-31712

CVSS 8.3 / 10.0 NVD

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:H

KernelScan AI8.3HIGH

01

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: require minimum ACE size in smb_check_perm_dacl() Both ACE-walk loops in smb_check_perm_dacl() only guard against an under-sized remaining buffer, not against an ACE whose declared `ace->size` is smaller than the struct it claims to describe: if (offsetof(struct smb_ace, access_req) > aces_size) break; ace_size = le16_to_cpu(ace->size); if (ace_size > aces_size) break; The first check only requires the 4-byte ACE header to be in bounds; it does not require access_req (4 bytes at offset 4) to be readable. An attacker who has set a crafted DACL on a file they own can declare ace->size == 4 with aces_size == 4, pass both checks, and then granted |= le32_to_cpu(ace->access_req); /* upper loop */ compare_sids(&sid, &ace->sid); /* lower loop */ reads access_req at offset 4 (OOB by up to 4 bytes) and ace->sid at offset 8 (OOB by up to CIFS_SID_BASE_SIZE + SID_MAX_SUB_AUTHORITIES * 4 bytes). Tighten both loops to require ace_size >= offsetof(struct smb_ace, sid) + CIFS_SID_BASE_SIZE which is the smallest valid on-wire ACE layout (4-byte header + 4-byte access_req + 8-byte sid base with zero sub-auths). Also reject ACEs whose sid.num_subauth exceeds SID_MAX_SUB_AUTHORITIES before letting compare_sids() dereference sub_auth[] entries. parse_sec_desc() already enforces an equivalent check (lines 441-448); smb_check_perm_dacl() simply grew weaker validation over time. Reachability: authenticated SMB client with permission to set an ACL on a file. On a subsequent CREATE against that file, the kernel walks the stored DACL via smb_check_perm_dacl() and triggers the OOB read. Not pre-auth, and the OOB read is not reflected to the attacker, but KASAN reports and kernel state corruption are possible.

02

Engine v0.2.0

Risk summary

An authenticated SMB user can cause kernel memory corruption by setting malformed access control lists on files they own. When other users access these files, the kernel performs out-of-bounds reads that could lead to information disclosure or system instability, though the vulnerability requires prior authentication and file ownership permissions.

Affectedfs/smb/server/smbacl.c

Vulnerability analysis

Root Cause: The smb_check_perm_dacl() function in ksmbd performs insufficient validation of Access Control Entry (ACE) structures when parsing SMB DACLs. The code only validates that the ACE header fits within the remaining buffer but fails to ensure that the declared ace->size is large enough to contain the full ACE structure including access_req and sid fields. This allows an attacker to craft a malformed ACE with ace->size=4 that passes validation checks but causes out-of-bounds reads when the code accesses ace->access_req (at offset 4) and ace->sid (at offset 8).

Attack Surface: This vulnerability requires an authenticated SMB client with permission to set ACLs on files. The attacker must first craft a malicious DACL on a file they control, then trigger a subsequent CREATE operation against that file to cause the kernel to parse the malformed ACE structure during permission checking.

Fix Mechanism: The patch adds proper minimum size validation by requiring ace_size to be at least offsetof(struct smb_ace, sid) + CIFS_SID_BASE_SIZE, which ensures the ACE contains a complete header, access_req field, and minimum SID structure. It also adds validation that sid.num_subauth does not exceed SID_MAX_SUB_AUTHORITIES before allowing compare_sids() to dereference sub_auth[] entries, preventing additional out-of-bounds access.

03

BranchFixed inPatch commit
6.126.12.8495e5aa3c3261
6.186.18.2590089584b2e2
6.66.6.140325d4ac11f52
7.07.0.2151b1799861f
mainline7.1-rc1d07b26f39246