CVE-2026-53383

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: reject non-VALID session in compound request branch smb2_check_user_session() takes a shortcut for any operation that is not the first in a COMPOUND request: it reuses work->sess (the session bound by the first operation) and validates only the SessionId, then returns "valid". It never re-checks work->sess->state == SMB2_SESSION_VALID, and a SessionId of 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF (ULLONG_MAX, the MS-SMB2 related-operation value) skips even the id comparison. The standalone path (ksmbd_session_lookup_all() plus the SESSION_SETUP state machine) does enforce the VALID state; the compound branch bypasses all of it. A SESSION_SETUP carrying only an NTLM Type-1 (NtLmNegotiate) blob publishes a fresh SMB2_SESSION_IN_PROGRESS session whose sess->user is still NULL (->user is assigned later, by ntlm_authenticate()). Used as operation 1 of a COMPOUND with operation 2 = TREE_CONNECT (related, SessionId=ULLONG_MAX, \\host\IPC$), the tree-connect then runs on that IN_PROGRESS session and reaches ksmbd_ipc_tree_connect_request(), which dereferences user_name(sess->user) with sess->user == NULL (transport_ipc.c:687/701/704) -> remote NULL-pointer dereference and a kernel Oops that wedges the ksmbd worker for all clients. Reject any non-first compound operation that lands on a session which is not SMB2_SESSION_VALID, mirroring the validity the standalone lookup path enforces. SESSION_SETUP itself legitimately runs on an IN_PROGRESS session, but it is never carried as a non-first compound operation, so multi-leg authentication is unaffected by this check.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-07-19
Last modified 2026-07-19
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 5.15.121, 6.1.36, 6.3.10, 6.4 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.15.211, 6.1.177, 6.6.144, 6.12.95, 6.18.37, 7.0.14, 7.1.2, 7.2-rc1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 5.15.121 ≥ 6.1.36 ≥ 6.3.10 ≥ 6.4
Fixed in
✓ 5.15.211 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.177 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.144 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.95 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.37 6.18.x ✓ 7.0.14 7.0.x ✓ 7.1.2 7.1.x ✓ 7.2-rc1

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-53383?

    CVE-2026-53383 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.15.121 onward and has been patched in 5.15.211, 6.1.177, 6.6.144 and others. CVE-2026-53383 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-53383?

    Yes — CVE-2026-53383 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.15.211, 6.1.177, 6.6.144 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.15.121 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-53383 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2026-53383 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.