---
id: CVE-2026-80983
title: >-
  kernel: net/smc: fix socket refcount leak in smc_switch_conns()
  (CVE-2026-80983)
summary: >-
  A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's implementation of the Server Message
  Block (SMB) over Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) protocol, specifically
  within the `net/smc` component. An error path in the `smc_switch_conns()`
  function, trig…
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-911
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: '2026-09-14T19:24:38+00:00'
source: CSAF
sourceUrl: 'https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-80983.json'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-80983.json
  - url: 'https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-80983'
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2532201'
  - url: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-80983'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-80983'
  - url: >-
      https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-80983.mbox
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a3378466704e0bbe93aef9769552dca7673a7eb6'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e20227019d9da73f8fdf16f0951c2e188c84933f'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/09d7a9e162ee1a269878c126aee3d7eff43e4130'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/84dea0585f6b538ae895a8b1d025f4897737f3b1'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d89dc1bd8845c669a700eee58c64ebd3cc1b6d2d'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d9a879ac25958bdaecb669ce70e58f8e2ff170de'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/719296c4aa8213d4ac8002e77d5956d436bc98d0'
tags:
  - csaf
  - vex
  - red-hat
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00172
epssPercentile: 0.06967
ingestedAt: '2026-09-14T15:23:07.454Z'
---

## Overview

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's implementation of the Server Message Block (SMB) over Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) protocol, specifically within the `net/smc` component. An error path in the `smc_switch_conns()` function, triggered during link failover events, can lead to a socket reference count leak. This prevents the affected socket from being properly destroyed, causing its associated send and receive buffers to remain allocated. Consequently, the network namespace cannot be fully released, potentially resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS) due to resource exhaustion.

## Vendor advisories

- **Red Hat VEX** · Low · 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-2026-80983.json)

**kernel: net/smc: fix socket refcount leak in smc_switch_conns()** — rated Low 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