Linux Kernel: security vulnerability (CVE-2026-98897)
Published Last modified Sources: BSI, Msrc Update Guide, CVE.org
What is affected, what to do
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.
Update Linux Kernel to version 6.7, Linux Kernel to version 6.18.53, Linux Kernel to version 7.2.
- Affected
- Linux Kernel
lt 6.6.35..6.7 - Linux Kernel
lt 6.9..6.18.53 - Linux Kernel
lt 6.19..7.2
- Linux Kernel
- Fixed in
- Linux Kernel
6.7 - Linux Kernel
6.18.53 - Linux Kernel
7.2
- Linux Kernel
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Metrics
4.3
Priority
XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.
Source: Vendor (CNA), CVSS v3
4.3
CVSS v3
Severity Medium on the scale from 0 to 10.
Source: BSI, Msrc Update Guide, CVE.org
0.2 %
EPSS score
Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 8.9
Show all metrics
- Severity
- Medium
Priority (0–325)
The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?
Read in glossary- 52.13 Methodology
Exploit maturity
An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.
Read in glossary- no public PoC known
XIEM Effective CVSS
XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.
Read in glossary- 4.3 Methodology
CVSS v3
CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.
Read in glossary- 4.3
EPSS score
The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.
Read in glossary- 0.2 %
- Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
EPSS percentile
The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.
Read in glossary- 8.9
- Low — this CVE sits in the lower 10% of all CVEs scored today.
KEV status
The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.
Read in glossary- —
- Published
Detection rules
No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.
Classification under NIS2 and CRA
Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.
NIS2
NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.
Read in glossary- Handle the vulnerability in regular vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2.
CRA
The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.
Read in glossary- From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.
Read in glossary- Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.
Description
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.
Source: BSI CSAF, BSI WID Portal, Microsoft Security Update Guide, cvelistv5, NVD (NIST)
Affected products
The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.
| Affected versions | Fixed in | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux |
|
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Vendors and products
References & sources
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/27a9bc968d4ae809a3f5ca2f2b136856ee613cb4
- git.kernel.orgstable/c/868c9038ffd4af39766d087f68c8f543a3f66635
Changes to this CVE
Who changed this CVE and when: NVD (analysis, affected products, CVSS), the CVE publisher (CNA) and additional providers such as CISA (ADP).
ReceivedLinux
Description added or changed
Show 4 original changes
Individual changes of this event as published by NVD Type Action Before After Description added —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.Affected versions (publisher) added —New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/98xxx/CVE-2026-98897.json">CVE-2026-98897</a>Reference added —https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/27a9bc968d4ae809a3f5ca2f2b136856ee613cb4Reference added —https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/868c9038ffd4af39766d087f68c8f543a3f66635Source identifier: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
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<a href="https://intel.neosec.eu/en/cve/CVE-2026-98897"><img src="https://intel.neosec.eu/badge/cve/CVE-2026-98897.svg?lang=en" alt="CVE-2026-98897 – NEOSEC Intel" height="20"></a>