CVE-2026-98162 smb/server: fix tree connection leak in smb2_tree_connect()

Medium 5.5 Published Updated

A resource leak in the Linux kernel SMB server allows attackers to exhaust memory, causing denial of service.

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

What is CVE-2026-98162?

CVE-2026-98162 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Sep 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:

smb/server: fix tree connection leak in smb2_tree_connect()

See the procedure below:

smb2_tree_connect ksmbd_tree_conn_connect xa_store(&sess->tree_conns, tree_conn->id, tree_conn) ksmbd_counter_inc(KSMBD_COUNTER_TREE_CONNS) ksmbd_share_tree_conn_inc(sc) ksmbd_iov_pin_rsp // fail status.ret = KSMBD_TREE_CONN_STATUS_NOMEM // do not disconnect tree_conn

Disconnect the new tree connection if ksmbd_iov_pin_rsp() fails.

Weakness: CWE-401

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98162?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2026-98162?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.

Is CVE-2026-98162 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98162 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as AZL-104312, BELL-CVE-2026-98162, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98162, GHSA-x6qh-h8p9-5c4q, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98162.

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