CVE-2026-53046
CRITICALIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: fix use-after-free from async crypto on Qualcomm crypto engine ksmbd_crypt_message() sets a NULL completion…
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ksmbd: fix use-after-free from async crypto on Qualcomm crypto engine
ksmbd_crypt_message() sets a NULL completion callback on AEAD requests and does not handle the -EINPROGRESS return code from async hardware crypto engines like the Qualcomm Crypto Engine (QCE). When QCE returns -EINPROGRESS, ksmbd treats it as an error and immediately frees the request while the hardware DMA operation is still in flight. The DMA completion callback then dereferences freed memory, causing a NULL pointer crash:
pc : qce_skcipher_done+0x24/0x174 lr : vchan_complete+0x230/0x27c ... el1h_64_irq+0x68/0x6c ksmbd_free_work_struct+0x20/0x118 [ksmbd] ksmbd_exit_file_cache+0x694/0xa4c [ksmbd]
Use the standard crypto_wait_req() pattern with crypto_req_done() as the completion callback, matching the approach used by the SMB client in fs/smb/client/smb2ops.c. This properly handles both synchronous engines (immediate return) and async engines (-EINPROGRESS followed by callback notification).
Detection & mitigation playbook
VulnerabilityDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for the affected component. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Remediation status
No patched version of the affected component has shipped for CVE-2026-53046 yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.
Mitigate without a patch
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-53046 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2026-53046. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-53046 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2026-53046 across dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.