CVE-2026-46195: linux NULL Pointer Dereference

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-46195 is a critical (CVSS 9.8) NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.68% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 51.3% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 28-05-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 19-10-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb: client: validate dacloffset before building DACL pointers parse_sec_desc(), build_sec_desc(), and the chown path in id_mode_to_cifs_acl() all add the server-supplied dacloffset to pntsd before proving a DACL header fits inside the returned security descriptor. On 32-bit builds a malicious server can return dacloffset near U32_MAX, wrap the derived DACL pointer below end_of_acl, and then slip past the later pointer-based bounds checks. build_sec_desc() and id_mode_to_cifs_acl() can then dereference DACL fields from the wrapped pointer in the chmod/chown rewrite paths. Validate dacloffset numerically before building any DACL pointer and reuse the same helper at the three DACL entry points.

• CWE-476NULL Pointer DereferenceThe product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.
• CWE-190Integer Overflow or WraparoundThe product performs a calculation that can produce an integer overflow or wraparound when the logic assumes that the resulting value will always be larger than the original value. This occurs when an integer value is incremented to a value that is too large to store in the associated representation. When this occurs, the value may become a very small or negative number.
• CWE-787Out-of-bounds WriteThe product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.