CVE-2026-98453
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Server Message Block (SMB) client. A malicious or compromised SMB server can trigger this vulnerability by returning malformed context responses during a file open operation. When the client fails to parse the context data, it aborts the operation without closing the newly established remote handle, resulting in a resource leak that may lead to a Denial of Service (DoS).
Statement
This vulnerability is rated as Moderate severity because successful exploitation requires connecting to an untrusted or compromised remote SMB endpoint, with the impact confined to handle resource exhaustion rather than arbitrary code execution or data exposure. Under standard Red Hat Enterprise Linux deployments, SMB network filesystems are not mounted by default and require deliberate administrative action to configure. Systems that do not mount external CIFS/SMB shares or only interact with trusted infrastructure are not exposed to this issue.
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 | 4.3 | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | N/A |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | N/A |
| User Interaction | Required | N/A | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | N/A |
| Availability Impact | Low | N/A | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Resource Consumption (Other); DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory); DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU)
An attacker that can influence the allocation of resources that are not properly released could deplete the available resource pool and prevent all other processes from accessing the same type of resource. Frequently-affected resources include memory, CPU, disk space, power or battery, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
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