The SMB client in the Linux kernel has a flaw where creating a file with O_CREAT on a symbolic link or other non‑regular inode leaves a server handle open and retains a dentry reference. This results in a kernel‑level resource leak that grows with repeated use. The vulnerability is a misuse of resource cleanup (CWE‑772); it can degrade system performance over time but does not provide code execution or privilege escalation.

All Linux kernel releases that precede the commit introducing finish_no_open for non‑regular inodes are affected. Because the kernel is distributed by many vendors, any installation that has an unpatched kernel and uses CIFS/SMB file sharing is susceptible, regardless of the distribution. The exact version ranges are identified by the kernel commits referenced in the advisory.

The CVSS score of 8.8 places the issue in a high severity range, and the EPSS score of less than 1 % indicates a very low expected exploitation probability. The vulnerability is not listed in CISA’s KEV catalog. Based on the description, the attack vector is inferred to be remote via SMB traffic, requiring the attacker to have write permissions on the share to create files or symlinks. While the impact is limited to resource exhaustion rather than direct code execution, repeated exploitation could lead to a denial‑of‑service by exhausting kernel memory or dentry tables.