The flaw resides in the Linux kernel’s SMC subsystem. A getsockname() request on an SMC socket dereferences the associated CLC socket without holding the required lock. During link‑group teardown the CLC socket may be freed, producing a use‑after‑free or NULL dereference. This kernel violation can trigger a crash or be abused by an attacker to execute code with kernel privileges, representing a use‑after‑free flaw (CWE‑825).

All Linux kernels that expose the SMC interface are impacted, regardless of distribution, because the defect is in the core kernel source. The patch appears in the stable repository for the Linux kernel, as shown by the referenced Git commits, but no specific version range is listed; any kernel before the fix is vulnerable.

This vulnerability is scored 7.8 on the CVSS base metric, classifying it as high severity. The EPSS score is below 1%, indicating a low current exploitation probability, and it is not listed in CISA's KEV catalog. The exploitation path requires that an attacker can perform a getsockname() on a SMC socket that is concurrently being closed, which is possible from user space on systems that support the interface. While the low EPSS suggests limited likelihood, the high severity rating and the kernel memory corruption nature warrant cautious assessment.