---
id: CVE-2026-80980
title: >-
  kernel: net/smc: stop killed, freed and out_of_sync sharing a byte
  (CVE-2026-80980)
summary: >-
  A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's SMC (Server Message Block over Remote
  Direct Memory Access) protocol implementation. A concurrency issue exists
  where three connection state flags (killed, freed, and out_of_sync) share a
  single byte …
severity: medium
cvss: 5.5
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'
cvssSource: vendor
cwe: CWE-366
vendor: Red Hat
product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
affected:
  - enterprise_linux 10
  - enterprise_linux 8
  - enterprise_linux 9
  - openshift_container_platform 4
published: '2026-09-11'
updated: '2026-09-14'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-14T19:08:36+00:00'
source: CSAF
sourceUrl: 'https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-80980.json'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-80980.json
  - url: 'https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-80980'
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2532124'
  - url: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-80980'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-80980'
  - url: >-
      https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-80980.mbox
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2cb7a8d64b7e8ccdc69bbe48fe9c4eaa79c33aec'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/313f79149eb337411c64e2c247234b62ef9a3cb9'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/db51a8658c11a82432b64999519a269c3aabb447'
tags:
  - csaf
  - vex
  - red-hat
  - cve.org
  - score-dispute
epss: 0.00605
epssPercentile: 0.4768
scores:
  vendor: 4.8
  cna: 9.8
ingestedAt: '2026-09-14T15:23:07.476Z'
---

## Overview

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's SMC (Server Message Block over Remote Direct Memory Access) protocol implementation. A concurrency issue exists where three connection state flags (killed, freed, and out_of_sync) share a single byte in the `smc_connection` structure without proper locking mechanisms. This allows for a read-modify-write race condition when different functions attempt to modify these flags simultaneously. This could lead to incorrect connection state management, potentially causing unexpected behavior or a denial of service.

## Vendor advisories

- **Red Hat VEX** · Moderate · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · no fix planned: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · updated 2026-09-14 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-80980.json)

**kernel: net/smc: stop killed, freed and out_of_sync sharing a byte** — rated Moderate by Red Hat. Released 2026-09-11, updated 2026-09-14.

Affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

No fix planned:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

Not affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

## Remediation

Fix deferred