CVE-2026-31610
MediumIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: fix mechToken leak when SPNEGO decode fails after token alloc The kernel ASN.1 BER decoder calls action callbacks incrementally as it walks the input. When ksmbd_decode_negTokenInit() reaches the mechToken [2] OCTET STRING element, ksmbd_neg_token_alloc() allocates conn->mechToken immediately via kmemdup_nul(). If a later element in the same blob is malformed, then the decoder will return nonzero after the allocation is already live. This could happen if mechListMIC [3] overrunse the enclosing SEQUENCE. decode_negotiation_token() then sets conn->use_spnego = false because both the negTokenInit and negTokenTarg grammars failed. The cleanup at the bottom of smb2_sess_setup() is gated on use_spnego: if (conn->use_spnego && conn->mechToken) { kfree(conn->mechToken); conn->mechToken = NULL; } so the kfree is skipped, causing the mechToken to never be freed. This codepath is reachable pre-authentication, so untrusted clients can cause slow memory leaks on a server without even being properly authenticated. Fix this up by not checking check for use_spnego, as it's not required, so the memory will always be properly freed. At the same time, always free the memory in ksmbd_conn_free() incase some other failure path forgot to free it.
CVSS 3.1 score
5.5
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness type
CWE-401CVE-2026-31610 is a Memory Leak vulnerability
What is Memory Leak?
The product does not release memory after use, causing gradual resource exhaustion. Learn more on MITRE CWE
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
5.15
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.6.136,
6.12.83,
6.18.24,
6.19.14,
7.0.1,
7.1-rc1
and their respective stable series.
References
The following references provide additional information about CVE-2026-31610 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.
-
PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/269c800a7a7e363459291885b35f7bc72e231ed6
-
PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6c8c44e6553b9f072f62d9875e567766eb293162
-
PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/745a535461bbb90a56d9357573c9f97a5c12abe1
Frequently asked questions
-
What is CVE-2026-31610?
CVE-2026-31610 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as a Memory Leak flaw (CWE-401) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.15 onward and has been patched in 6.6.136, 6.12.83, 6.18.24 and others. CVE-2026-31610 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
-
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-31610?
CVE-2026-31610 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. -
Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-31610?
Yes — CVE-2026-31610 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.6.136, 6.12.83, 6.18.24 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.15 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
-
Is CVE-2026-31610 actively exploited?
No — CVE-2026-31610 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
-
What is Memory Leak (CWE-401)?
The product does not release memory after use, causing gradual resource exhaustion. View CWE-401 on MITRE CWE →