CVE-2026-97557
smb: client: avoid leaking refcount in cifs_queue_oplock_break()
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb: client: avoid leaking refcount in cifs_queue_oplock_break() cifs_queue_oplock_break() unconditionally takes a reference on the target file before queueing cifs_oplock_break(). Only that work item decreases the reference counter again. If another oplock break arrives while that work is still queued, queue_work() will return false and not queue this second work item. As a result, we will never reach the point to drop the file reference again and are leaking this reference. This can be triggered when interacting with a slow-responding server. As a result, later unmount operations for this file system will fail with BUG: Dentry ... still in use (1) [unmount of cifs cifs] VFS: Busy inodes after unmount of cifs (cifs) kernel BUG at fs/super.c:777! Fix this by only incrementing the reference count if the work has been queued successfully. Taking it after queue_work() is safe because all three callers hold tcon->open_file_lock across the call and _cifsFileInfo_put() decrements under that same lock, so a worker that starts the handler in the window cannot drop the reference before it has been taken.
INFO
Published Date :
Sept. 25, 2026, 11:17 a.m.
Last Modified :
Sept. 25, 2026, 3:17 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 |
Solution
- Apply the patch for smb: client: avoid leaking refcount.
- Update the Linux kernel to the latest version.
- Ensure file references are managed correctly.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
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CVE-2026-97557.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-97557 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-97557
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
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The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-97557 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-97557 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
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CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Sep. 25, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H -
New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Sep. 25, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb: client: avoid leaking refcount in cifs_queue_oplock_break() cifs_queue_oplock_break() unconditionally takes a reference on the target file before queueing cifs_oplock_break(). Only that work item decreases the reference counter again. If another oplock break arrives while that work is still queued, queue_work() will return false and not queue this second work item. As a result, we will never reach the point to drop the file reference again and are leaking this reference. This can be triggered when interacting with a slow-responding server. As a result, later unmount operations for this file system will fail with BUG: Dentry ... still in use (1) [unmount of cifs cifs] VFS: Busy inodes after unmount of cifs (cifs) kernel BUG at fs/super.c:777! Fix this by only incrementing the reference count if the work has been queued successfully. Taking it after queue_work() is safe because all three callers hold tcon->open_file_lock across the call and _cifsFileInfo_put() decrements under that same lock, so a worker that starts the handler in the window cannot drop the reference before it has been taken. Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/97xxx/CVE-2026-97557.json">CVE-2026-97557</a> Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2ed2c29dd9593637cfa25ac1eb23241b20202778 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9f2e63f1b2d5fc5b5423424902c091123e220e7e Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/af0193bbf1ac8c0f67f972998b0cc629d6116cf6 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dfe7b750c7e069873a8a57a11c816831a235618a