CVE-2026-90153: ksmbd: bound smb_check_perm_dacl() ACE walks by DACL size

Severity: high (CVSS 8.1 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.5% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-09-17 · updated 2026-10-30

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: bound smb_check_perm_dacl() ACE walks by DACL size smb_check_perm_dacl() validates that the DACL fits inside the NT security descriptor, but then bounds its two ACE walks by the remaining NTSD length (acl_size) rather than the DACL's declared size (pdacl_size). When pdacl->size is smaller than the trailing NTSD buffer, bytes after the declared DACL boundary - still inside the stored security descriptor - are parsed as ACEs during access checks. A crafted DACL can place an access-granting ACE beyond pdacl->size, and the current code accepts it during SMB2_CREATE access validation, while parse_dacl() and smb_inherit_dacl() stop at pdacl_size. Bound both ACE walks by pdacl_size to match the DACL boundary semantics used elsewhere in the server. Validation: - semantic KUnit harness shows the post-boundary ACE is selected before the fix and rejected (EACCES) after it - linux master (7.2-rc6), x86_64

Affected products

Linux: from 5.15.62 before 5.16; from 5.18.18 before 5.19; from 5.19.2 before 5.20 — fixed in 5.16, 5.19, 5.20

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux 5.16, 5.19, 5.20. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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