# CVE-2026-52996: ksmbd: fix durable fd leak on ClientGUID mismatch in durable v2 open

> An attacker can cause a file descriptor leak in the Linux kernel's ksmbd server by triggering a ClientGUID mismatch, leading to resource exhaustion and denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 24 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 24 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-52996, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-52996, GHSA-w2x4-6hp6-4hc7, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-52996

## What is CVE-2026-52996?

CVE-2026-52996 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 Jun 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ksmbd: fix durable fd leak on ClientGUID mismatch in durable v2 open

ksmbd_lookup_fd_cguid() returns a ksmbd_file with its refcount
incremented via ksmbd_fp_get(). parse_durable_handle_context() in
the DURABLE_REQ_V2 case properly releases this reference on every
path inside the ClientGUID-match branch, either by calling
ksmbd_put_durable_fd() or by transferring ownership to dh_info->fp
for a successful reconnect. However, when an entry exists in the
global file table with the same CreateGuid but a different
ClientGUID, the code simply falls through to the new-open path
without dropping the reference obtained from ksmbd_lookup_fd_cguid().

Per MS-SMB2 section 3.3.5.9.10 ("Handling the
SMB2_CREATE_DURABLE_HANDLE_REQUEST_V2 Create Context"), the server
MUST locate an Open whose Open.CreateGuid matches the request's
CreateGuid AND whose Open.ClientGuid matches the ClientGuid of the
connection that received the request. If no such Open is found, the
server MUST continue with the normal open execution phase. A
CreateGuid hit with a ClientGUID mismatch is therefore the
"Open not found" case: proceeding with a new open is correct, but
the reference obtained purely as a side effect of the lookup must
not be leaked.

Repeated requests that hit this mismatch pin global_ft entries,
prevent __ksmbd_close_fd() from ever running for the corresponding
files, and defeat the durable scavenger, leading to long-lived
resource leaks.

Release the reference in the mismatch path and clear dh_info->fp so
subsequent logic does not mistake a non-matching lookup result for
a reconnect target.

Weakness: CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-52996?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-52996?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-52996 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-52996 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-52996 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-52996 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 Jun 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-52996 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-52996/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-52996/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-52996
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-52996
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-52996

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-52996/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.