Linux Kernel up to 6.18.52 ksmbd cifs.ko wait_for_break_ack locking

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.18.52. Impacted is the function wait_for_break_ack of the file cifs.ko of the component ksmbd. Such manipulation leads to locking. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2026-98897. The attack can be launched remotely. No exploit exists. You should upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.18.52. It has been rated as critical. Affected by this issue is the function wait_for_break_ack of the file cifs.ko of the component ksmbd. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a locking vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-667. The product does not properly acquire or release a lock on a resource, leading to unexpected resource state changes and behaviors. Impacted is availability. CVE summarizes:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: don't hold ci->m_lock while waiting for a lease break ack When a cifs.ko client caches a read-handle (RH) lease via deferred close and a conflicting open arrives, ksmbd breaks the lease and waits for the acknowledgment in wait_for_break_ack() for up to OPLOCK_WAIT_TIME (35s). __smb_break_all_levII_oplock() runs that wait while holding ci->m_lock for read. cifs.ko reacts to a handle-lease break by closing the deferred handle rather than sending a lease break acknowledgment. That close path (close_id_del_oplock() -> opinfo_del()) takes ci->m_lock for write and is exactly what would wake the waiter, but it blocks on the read lock held by the waiting thread. The break is then resolved only by the 35s timeout, so xfstests generic/001 takes ~78s with leases enabled versus ~4s with oplocks only. Collect the target opinfos (each pinned with a reference) while holding ci->m_lock, then break them after releasing it, matching how smb_grant_oplock() already breaks a conflicting lease using only a reference. The reference keeps the opinfo (and its conn and lease) alive across the unlocked window, and a close racing the break is handled by the existing OPLOCK_CLOSING state check. Apply the same fix to the parent lease break paths.

The advisory is shared for download at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is handled as CVE-2026-98897 since 09/25/2026. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be launched remotely. There are known technical details, but no exploit is available. The current price for an exploit might be approx. USD $0-$5k (estimation calculated on 10/23/2026).

Upgrading to version 6.18.53 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 868c9038ffd4af39766d087f68c8f543a3f66635/27a9bc968d4ae809a3f5ca2f2b136856ee613cb4 is able to eliminate this problem. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

The vulnerability is also documented in the vulnerability database at EUVD (EUVD-2026-108853). VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.

Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 6.18.0
• 6.18.1
• 6.18.2
• 6.18.3
• 6.18.4
• 6.18.5
• 6.18.6
• 6.18.7
• 6.18.8
• 6.18.9
• 6.18.10
• 6.18.11
• 6.18.12
• 6.18.13
• 6.18.14
• 6.18.15
• 6.18.16
• 6.18.17
• 6.18.18
• 6.18.19
• 6.18.20
• 6.18.21
• 6.18.22
• 6.18.23
• 6.18.24
• 6.18.25
• 6.18.26
• 6.18.27
• 6.18.28
• 6.18.29
• 6.18.30
• 6.18.31
• 6.18.32
• 6.18.33
• 6.18.34
• 6.18.35
• 6.18.36
• 6.18.37
• 6.18.38
• 6.18.39
• 6.18.40
• 6.18.41
• 6.18.42
• 6.18.43
• 6.18.44
• 6.18.45
• 6.18.46
• 6.18.47
• 6.18.48
• 6.18.49
• 6.18.50
• 6.18.51
• 6.18.52

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

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VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.

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