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CVE Record

CVE-2026-46139: smb: client: use kzalloc to zero-initialize security descriptor buffer

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb: client: use kzalloc to zero-initialize security descriptor buffer Commit 62e7dd0a39c2d ("smb: common: change the data type of num_aces to le16") split struct smb_acl's __le32 num_aces field into __le16 num_aces and __le16 reserved. The reserved field corresponds to Sbz2 in the MS-DTYP ACL wire format, which must be zero [1]. When building an ACL descriptor in build_sec_desc(), we are using a kmalloc()'ed descriptor buffer and writing the fields explicitly using le16() writes now. This never writes to the 2 byte reserved field, leaving it as uninitialized heap data. When the reserved field happens to contain non-zero slab garbage, Samba rejects the security descriptor with "ndr_pull_security_descriptor failed: Range Error", causing chmod to fail with EINVAL. Change kmalloc() to kzalloc() to ensure the entire buffer is zero-initialized. [1] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/openspecs/windows_protocols/ms-dtyp/20233ed8-a6c6-4097-aafa-dd545ed24428

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysislow

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

A Linux SMB client bug can put uninitialized kernel memory into a reserved ACL field when building a security descriptor. Samba may reject that descriptor, causing chmod on SMB shares to fail with EINVAL. The sources describe an operational reliability issue, not active exploitation or remote system compromise.

Executive priority

Handle through normal kernel maintenance unless SMB permission management is business-critical. There is no cited active exploitation or severity score, but affected file-service workflows may break and should be patched in routine update cycles.

Technical view

A prior Linux kernel SMB change split smb_acl num_aces and reserved fields. build_sec_desc() allocated the descriptor with kmalloc() and did not write the two-byte reserved field required to be zero by MS-DTYP. The fix changes allocation to kzalloc(), zero-initializing the buffer so Samba accepts the ACL descriptor.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most relevant to Linux systems using the kernel SMB/CIFS client against Samba or SMB shares where chmod or ACL/security descriptor operations occur. The supplied affected-version data is incomplete and inconsistent, so confirm exact exposure through distribution advisories and kernel stable fix status.

Exploitation context

The bundle does not report active exploitation, and KEV is false. The observed impact is Samba rejecting malformed security descriptors with a range error, leading to chmod failure. The uninitialized reserved field is described, but no weaponized exploit path is provided in the sources.

Researcher notes

The strongest evidence is the kernel fix rationale: an uninitialized two-byte reserved ACL field violates MS-DTYP zeroing requirements and can trigger Samba parsing failure. Affected range metadata in the bundle is not clear enough for precise version claims without vendor mapping.

Mitigation direction

  • Update to a vendor kernel release containing the referenced stable fixes.
  • Track Linux distribution advisories for exact fixed package versions.
  • Prioritize hosts that mount SMB shares and perform chmod or ACL operations.
  • If patching is delayed, monitor SMB permission-change failures closely.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux kernels on systems using SMB/CIFS mounts.
  • Check whether kernel packages include the referenced stable commits.
  • Review logs for Samba security descriptor range errors.
  • Test chmod behavior on SMB mounts after applying kernel updates.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
7

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
0ADP providers
6Source links

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux1593ddb37bd124c131fe635397df68e854a03108, da087905e3270e2291c0afae39a28e7d183e5ec3, 62e7dd0a39c2d0d7ff03274c36df971f1b3d2d0d, 62e7dd0a39c2d0d7ff03274c36df971f1b3d2d0d, 62e7dd0a39c2d0d7ff03274c36df971f1b3d2d0d, 191f2f444745087c3c51fd6042a0e25f42315ab0, 6.12.23, 6.13.11unaffected
LinuxLinux6.14, 0, 6.12.88, 6.18.30, 7.0.7, 7.1affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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