CVE-2026-90165 smb/server: fix invalid pointer dereference in ksmbd_stop_durable_scavenger()
An attacker can cause a kernel crash in the Linux SMB server by triggering an invalid pointer dereference during durable scavenger startup failure.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-90165?
CVE-2026-90165 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 17 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
smb/server: fix invalid pointer dereference in ksmbd_stop_durable_scavenger()
See the procedure below:
ksmbd_launch_ksmbd_durable_scavenger durable_scavenger_running = true server_conf.dh_task = kthread_run() // fail, dh_task is an ERR_PTR()
server_ctrl_handle_reset ksmbd_stop_durable_scavenger kthread_stop(server_conf.dh_task) // invalid pointer
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-90165?
How do I fix CVE-2026-90165?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2026-90165 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-90165 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-102138, BELL-CVE-2026-90165, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-90165, GHSA-qgqf-cwg2-72jg, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-90165.