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

smb: client: reject a tree connect response whose byte count is too small

CIFSTCon() bounds its strnlen() over the byte area with the server's
ByteCount minus two, which for ByteCount 0 or 1 goes negative as an int
and converts to a huge size_t. The later subtraction wraps the __u16
bytes_left, and that is what bounds cifs_strndup_from_utf16(): a bound of
up to 65535 against a ~16 KB cifs_req_poolp object runs off the end of the
slab object, and the bytes reach userspace through tcon->nativeFileSystem
in /proc/fs/cifs/DebugData.

Reject a byte area too small for what the parser consumes. Two bytes is
the least it can consume, and no conformant response carries fewer. The
new trace point is the 129th smb_eio_trace entry, which __mode(byte)
cannot represent, so the attribute goes with it.
Published: 2026-09-11
Score: 5.7 Medium
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: Information Disclosure
Action: Patch System
AI Analysis

Impact

A contain a ByteCount of zero or one. The kernel interprets this value as a signed integer, converts it to a very large size_t, and then uses that value to copy a UTF‑16 string from a slab buffer. The copy overruns the buffer bounds, leaking data from kernel memory into a debug file exposed under /proc/fs/cifs/DebugData. The flaw is a classic out‑of‑bounds read (CWE‑125).

Affected Systems

All Linux kernel releases that include the CIFS SMB client and have not yet installed the patch that This includes every system with the default CIFS module loaded and the are kernel using CIFS is potentially vulnerable.

Risk and Exploitability

The reported CVSS score of 5.7 indicates a medium severity; 0.17% shows a very low but non‑zero probability of exploitation. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. Attackers would need remote control of an SMB server to send a crafted tree connect response that triggers the over‑read. A user with access to /proc/fs/cifs/DebugData could then read the leaked kernel data. The flaw does not provide direct execution or privilege escalation, so local users without CIFS traffic cannot exploit it.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 13, 2026 at 00:35 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Upgrade the Linux kernel to a release that contains the fix for CVE‑2026‑89631.
  • Remove or restrict the /proc/fs/cifs/DebugData entry to prevent appropriate permissions or remove the export).
  • If a kernel upgrade is not yet possible, disable CIFS mounts or unload the CIFS client module until the patch is applied.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 13, 2026 at 00:35 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories yet.

History

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 00:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-125
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.7, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N'}

threat_severity

Moderate


Fri, 11 Sep 2026 23:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb: client: reject a tree connect response whose byte count is too small CIFSTCon() bounds its strnlen() over the byte area with the server's ByteCount minus two, which for ByteCount 0 or 1 goes negative as an int and converts to a huge size_t. The later subtraction wraps the __u16 bytes_left, and that is what bounds cifs_strndup_from_utf16(): a bound of up to 65535 against a ~16 KB cifs_req_poolp object runs off the end of the slab object, and the bytes reach userspace through tcon->nativeFileSystem in /proc/fs/cifs/DebugData. Reject a byte area too small for what the parser consumes. Two bytes is the least it can consume, and no conformant response carries fewer. The new trace point is the 129th smb_eio_trace entry, which __mode(byte) cannot represent, so the attribute goes with it.
Title smb: client: reject a tree connect response whose byte count is too small
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
References

Subscriptions

Linux Linux Kernel
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: Linux

Published:

Updated: 2026-09-11T19:45:26.444Z

Reserved: 2026-09-11T19:38:34.738Z

Link: CVE-2026-89631

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-09-11T20:19:48.640

Modified: 2026-09-11T20:19:48.640

Link: CVE-2026-89631

cve-icon Redhat

Severity : Moderate

Publid Date: 2026-09-11T19:45:26Z

Links: CVE-2026-89631 - Bugzilla

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-09-13T00:45:17Z

Weaknesses