CVE-2026-80984: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/smc: do not dereference an unset send buffer on the SMC-D teardown path smc_close

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/smc: do not dereference an unset send buffer on the SMC-D teardown path smc_close_stre

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/smc: do not dereference an unset send buffer on the SMC-D teardown path smc_close_stream_wait() calls smc_tx_prepared_sends() from inside its sk_wait_event() condition, and sk_wait_event() evaluates that condition once with the socket lock released. smcd_buf_detach() clears conn->sndbuf_desc from smc_conn_kill() under lock_sock(), so a link group terminating while a socket waits there leaves the helper dereferencing NULL, faulting out of close(). SIOCOUTQ reads the field by hand, and smc_close_cancel_work() drops the lock across two cancel_*_sync() calls. Sample the pointer once in the helper, report nothing prepared while it is unset, and bound the ioctl the same way. The receive tasklet dereferences the field directly in smc_cdc_msg_recv_action(), not through this helper; 1/2 is what keeps it from running that late.

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.21%, higher than 10% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

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Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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