CVE-2026-97564
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's SMB (Server Message Block) client. This vulnerability allows a local user to achieve privilege escalation due to missing validation on identity mapping key descriptions. Because the kernel does not verify that identity mapping requests originate internally, a local attacker can supply arbitrary user and group attributes to be processed by a privileged helper utility running with root permissions.
Statement
This vulnerability is rated as Moderate impact for Red Hat Enterprise Linux because exploitation requires local authenticated access and relies on specific upcall configurations rather than exposing a remote attack vector. By default, the CIFS kernel module is not loaded on Red Hat platforms unless SMB shares are actively mounted. Although an unprivileged local user could potentially gain elevated privileges through crafted key descriptors processed by the user-mode helper, the dependency on active CIFS usage and local account access limits the severity.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7 | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | N/A |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | N/A |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Access Control,Other
Technical Impact: Gain Privileges or Assume Identity; Varies by Context
An attacker can access any functionality that is inadvertently accessible to the source.
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