CVE-2026-52941: net/smc: avoid NULL deref of conn->lnk in smc_msg_event tracepoint

Published Jun 24, 2026
·
Updated

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net/smc: avoid NULL deref of conn->lnk in smcmsgevent tracepoint

The smcmsgevent tracepoint class, shared by smctxsendmsg and smcrxrecvmsg, unconditionally dereferences smc->conn.lnk:

string(name, smc->conn.lnk->ibname)

conn->lnk is only set for SMC-R; for SMC-D it is NULL. Other code on these paths already handles this (e.g. !conn->lnk in SMCSTATRMBTXSIZESMALL()). With the tracepoint enabled, the first sendmsg()/recvmsg() on an SMC-D socket crashes:

Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [...] RIP: 0010:strlen+0x1e/0xa0 Call Trace: traceeventraweventsmcmsgevent (net/smc/smctracepoint.h:44) smcrxrecvmsg (net/smc/smcrx.c:515) smcrecvmsg (net/smc/afsmc.c:2859) sysrecvfrom (net/socket.c:2315) x64sysrecvfrom (net/socket.c:2326) dosyscall64

The faulting address 0x3e0 is offsetof(struct smclink, ibname), confirming the NULL ->lnk deref. Enabling the tracepoint requires root, but the trigger itself is unprivileged: socket(AFSMC, ...) has no capability check, and SMC-D negotiation needs no admin step on s390 or on x86 with the loopback ISM device loaded.

Log an empty device name for SMC-D instead of dereferencing NULL.

Affected Software

10 affected componentsFixes available
Linux Linux kernel
Microsoft azl3 kernel 6.6.141.1-1<6.6.143.1-1
6.6.143.1-1
Linux Linux kernel>=5.16<6.1.175
Linux Linux kernel>=6.2<6.6.142
Linux Linux kernel>=6.7<6.12.92
Linux Linux kernel>=6.13<6.18.34
Linux Linux kernel>=6.19<7.0.11
Linux Linux kernel=7.1-rc1
Linux Linux kernel=7.1-rc2
Linux Linux kernel=7.1-rc3

Event History

Jun 24, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·07:14 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·07:14 AM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·08:16 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Jun 27, 2026
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·08:18 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-52941?

CVE-2026-52941 has a risk severity score of 30.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-52941?

To fix CVE-2026-52941, update your Linux kernel to the latest version that contains the patch.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2026-52941?

CVE-2026-52941 affects the Linux kernel, specifically in the net/smc module.

4

What is the impact of CVE-2026-52941?

The impact of CVE-2026-52941 is a potential NULL pointer dereference which can lead to system crashes.

5

When was CVE-2026-52941 published?

CVE-2026-52941 was published on June 24, 2026.

Contact

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