{
    "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
    "dataVersion": "5.2",
    "cveMetadata": {
        "cveId": "CVE-2026-72317",
        "assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "state": "PUBLISHED",
        "assignerShortName": "Linux",
        "dateReserved": "2026-08-09T03:40:39.919Z",
        "datePublished": "2026-08-15T05:55:31.022Z",
        "dateUpdated": "2026-08-17T05:42:43.024Z"
    },
    "containers": {
        "cna": {
            "providerMetadata": {
                "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
                "shortName": "Linux",
                "dateUpdated": "2026-08-17T05:42:43.024Z"
            },
            "descriptions": [
                {
                    "lang": "en",
                    "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nSUNRPC: pin upper rpc_clnt across the TLS connect_worker\n\nThe TLS connect path has a use-after-free: nothing pins the\nupper rpc_clnt across the delayed connect_worker. xs_connect()\nstores task->tk_client in sock_xprt::clnt as a raw pointer\nand queues the worker; for TLS-secured transports that worker\nis xs_tcp_tls_setup_socket(), which reads several fields out\nof the saved pointer (cl_timeout, cl_program, cl_prog,\ncl_vers, cl_cred, cl_stats) to construct the args for the\ninner handshake rpc_clnt.\n\nThe xprt does not reference the rpc_clnt; the rpc_clnt\nreferences the xprt. xs_destroy() does cancel the\nconnect_worker, but it runs only when the xprt's refcount\ndrops to zero, which cannot happen until the rpc_clnt\nreleases its cl_xprt reference in rpc_free_client_work().\nWhen a TLS handshake fails fatally (for example, an mTLS\nmount whose client cert does not match the server), the\nconnecting task is woken with -EACCES and exits, the mount\ncaller invokes rpc_shutdown_client(), and the upper rpc_clnt\nis freed before the queued connect_worker fires.\nxs_tcp_tls_setup_socket() then dereferences the freed clnt,\nproducing the refcount_t underflow Michael Nemanov reported.\n\nTake a reference on the upper rpc_clnt in xs_connect() for\nTLS transports via a new rpc_hold_client() helper, and drop\nit in the connect_worker's exit path with rpc_release_client().\nThe xprt_lock_connect() / xprt_unlock_connect() pairing\nalready serialises xs_connect() with xs_tcp_tls_setup_socket(),\nso the take and release are balanced one-for-one.\n\nThe non-TLS connect worker (xs_tcp_setup_socket) never reads\nsock_xprt::clnt, so leave that path alone and avoid the\nclnt-holds-xprt-holds-clnt cycle that would otherwise prevent\nxprt destruction."
                }
            ],
            "metrics": [
                {
                    "cvssV3_1": {
                        "version": "3.1",
                        "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
                        "baseScore": 9.8,
                        "baseSeverity": "CRITICAL"
                    },
                    "scenarios": [
                        {
                            "lang": "en",
                            "value": "AV:N - The flaw is in the SUNRPC TCP-with-TLS client connect_worker processing a remote NFS server's TLS handshake; a malicious or misconfigured server can induce fatal handshake failure over the network before the delayed worker runs, matching network-reachable kTLS/RPC-with-TLS client paths.\nAC:L - An attacker operating a reachable NFS endpoint can reliably cause fatal TLS handshake failure (e.g., reject mTLS client certificates or send TLS alerts) and influence reconnect timing/backoff so client teardown frees rpc_clnt before the queued connect_worker executes.\nPR:N - Exploitation requires no privileges on the victim host; a remote peer only needs the client kernel to initiate or re-establish an NFS RPC-with-TLS connection, and TLS handshake processing occurs before NFS authentication completes.\nUI:N - No further victim action is needed once an NFS xprtsec=tls/mtls mount exists because automatic reconnect after server-induced disconnect or handshake failure can trigger the race without additional user interaction.\nS:U - Impact is confined to kernel memory corruption and privilege boundaries within the same host; this is standard local kernel compromise rather than crossing VM, container, or IOMMU security scopes.\nC:H - This is a kernel heap use-after-free where xs_tcp_tls_setup_socket reads multiple fields from a freed rpc_clnt (including cl_cred and cl_program), enabling information disclosure and further exploitation beyond a simple crash.\nI:H - Use-after-free of rpc_clnt permits corrupting allocator metadata and adjacent kernel objects; freed-object reuse can yield arbitrary write or control-flow hijack primitives, not merely authenticated data alteration.\nA:H - Accessing the freed rpc_clnt produces a refcount_t underflow and kernel oops/panic; even unsuccessful exploitation typically crashes or hangs the system, and repeated reconnect attempts can deny availability."
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ],
            "affected": [
                {
                    "product": "Linux",
                    "vendor": "Linux",
                    "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
                    "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
                    "programFiles": [
                        "include/linux/sunrpc/clnt.h",
                        "net/sunrpc/clnt.c",
                        "net/sunrpc/xprtsock.c"
                    ],
                    "versions": [
                        {
                            "version": "75eb6af7acdf566c68d61e98e67ee2f235201c02",
                            "lessThan": "79cd550f8c884523b604fbfa43eb02def74d6224",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "75eb6af7acdf566c68d61e98e67ee2f235201c02",
                            "lessThan": "7a65b41b657b71d5a77861f47dd13eb4bc8e10d0",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "75eb6af7acdf566c68d61e98e67ee2f235201c02",
                            "lessThan": "5b0427ba582d143a364301f825f4e32272f06d2d",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "75eb6af7acdf566c68d61e98e67ee2f235201c02",
                            "lessThan": "d49f6d098ed48775b9d27a9f9c5c220fdf76f102",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "75eb6af7acdf566c68d61e98e67ee2f235201c02",
                            "lessThan": "46bc86c833956219bbfd246c1ffd832a479c5199",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        }
                    ]
                },
                {
                    "product": "Linux",
                    "vendor": "Linux",
                    "defaultStatus": "affected",
                    "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
                    "programFiles": [
                        "include/linux/sunrpc/clnt.h",
                        "net/sunrpc/clnt.c",
                        "net/sunrpc/xprtsock.c"
                    ],
                    "versions": [
                        {
                            "version": "6.5",
                            "status": "affected"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "0",
                            "lessThan": "6.5",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "6.6.145",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "6.6.*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "6.12.97",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "6.12.*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "6.18.40",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "6.18.*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "7.1.5",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "7.1.*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "7.2",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ],
            "cpeApplicability": [
                {
                    "nodes": [
                        {
                            "operator": "OR",
                            "negate": false,
                            "cpeMatch": [
                                {
                                    "vulnerable": true,
                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "6.5",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "6.6.145"
                                },
                                {
                                    "vulnerable": true,
                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "6.5",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "6.12.97"
                                },
                                {
                                    "vulnerable": true,
                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "6.5",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "6.18.40"
                                },
                                {
                                    "vulnerable": true,
                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "6.5",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "7.1.5"
                                },
                                {
                                    "vulnerable": true,
                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "6.5",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "7.2"
                                }
                            ]
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ],
            "references": [
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/79cd550f8c884523b604fbfa43eb02def74d6224"
                },
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7a65b41b657b71d5a77861f47dd13eb4bc8e10d0"
                },
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5b0427ba582d143a364301f825f4e32272f06d2d"
                },
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d49f6d098ed48775b9d27a9f9c5c220fdf76f102"
                },
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/46bc86c833956219bbfd246c1ffd832a479c5199"
                }
            ],
            "title": "SUNRPC: pin upper rpc_clnt across the TLS connect_worker",
            "x_generator": {
                "engine": "bippy-1.2.0"
            }
        }
    }
}