HIGH Introduced in 5.15
ksmbd LockBatch UAF
CVE-2026-90162
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
KernelScan AI7.5HIGH
01Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: defer publishing granted locks to prevent UAF/double-free race In smb2_lock(), mid-batch granted locks are published to connection-wide (conn->lock_list) and file-wide (fp->lock_list) lists immediately upon vfs_lock_file() success, while also remaining tracked on the stack-local rollback_list. If a subsequent element in the same SMB2_LOCK request array fails validation or execution, the thread jumps to out: and walks rollback_list to undo previously granted locks. However, because the granted lock was already published to conn->lock_list, a concurrent UNLOCK request on the same connection can find the lock object and kfree() it before the rollback loop executes. When the granting thread subsequently walks rollback_list, it dereferences and frees the already-freed ksmbd_lock structure, resulting in a Use-After-Free and Double-Free (on both ksmbd_lock and struct file_lock). Fix this by deferring the publication of granted locks to conn->lock_list and fp->lock_list until after the entire array of lock elements has been processed without error. Mid-batch grants remain tracked exclusively on the request-local rollback_list until the whole batch succeeds, eliminating the race window.
02KernelScan AI Analysis
Risk summary
An authenticated remote SMB client can trigger a use-after-free and double-free in the kernel's ksmbd server by sending a crafted batch of SMB2 lock requests. Successful exploitation could lead to kernel memory corruption, information disclosure, or a system crash. Any system running ksmbd with accessible SMB shares is at risk if an attacker has valid SMB credentials.
Vulnerability analysis
When the kernel SMB server processes a batch of SMB2 lock requests, it publishes each successfully granted lock to connection-wide and file-wide tracking lists immediately, while also keeping it on a request-local rollback list. If a later lock element in the same batch fails, the server attempts to undo the earlier grants via the rollback list, but by that point a concurrent UNLOCK request from another thread on the same connection can already find and free the published lock object. The rollback thread then dereferences and frees the already-freed structure, causing a use-after-free and double-free on kernel heap memory. The fix defers all publication to the shared lists until the entire lock batch has been processed without error, keeping mid-batch grants visible only on the request-local list and closing the race window entirely. This vulnerability is reachable over the network by any authenticated SMB client with valid credentials against a host running the ksmbd module.
Lifecycle
03Fix Versions
| Branch | Introduced | Fixed in | Patch commit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.2 | 5.15 | 7.2.6 | a1d26dfb3291 |
| mainline | 5.15 | 7.3-rc1 | 29f74f0f2e6d |