Linux Kernel up to 7.2.6/7.3-rc1 ksmbd kthread_stop use after free

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability labeled as very critical has been found in Linux Kernel up to 7.2.6/7.3-rc1. The impacted element is the function kthread_stop of the component ksmbd. The manipulation results in use after free. This vulnerability is cataloged as CVE-2026-98112. The attack may be launched remotely. There is no exploit available. The affected component should be upgraded.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as very critical, was found in Linux Kernel up to 7.2.6/7.3-rc1. Affected is the function kthread_stop of the component ksmbd. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a use after free vulnerability. CWE is classifying the issue as CWE-416. Referencing memory after it has been freed can cause a program to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code. This is going to have an impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. CVE summarizes:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: fix listener task lifetime on netdev events The listener thread exits when its listening socket is shutdown. The netdevice notifier shuts down the socket before calling kthread_stop(), so the task_struct can be freed before kthread_stop() gets its reference. Create the listener in a stopped state and hold an extra task_struct reference until kthread_stop_put() completes. Also stop and release listeners before freeing their interface records during TCP teardown.

The advisory is shared for download at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is traded as CVE-2026-98112 since 09/25/2026. The exploitability is told to be easy. It is possible to launch the attack remotely. There are known technical details, but no exploit is available. The current price for an exploit might be approx. USD $5k-$25k (estimation calculated on 09/25/2026).

Upgrading to version 7.2.7 or 7.3-rc2 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 40581f10c1e56238b157af5f260b8f9518a0cbc1/a506290f59e1c6ce9ac0a13158640bb8fee93471 is able to eliminate this problem. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

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Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 7.2.0
• 7.2.1
• 7.2.2
• 7.2.3
• 7.2.4
• 7.2.5
• 7.2.6
• 7.3-rc1

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

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