Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2023-39179
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedA flaw was found within the handling of SMB2 read requests in the kernel ksmbd module. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a read past the end of an allocated buffer. An attacker can leverage this to disclose sensitive information on affected installations of Linux. Only systems with ksmbd enabled are vulnerable to this CVE.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceAn out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ksmbd SMB server module allows reading past the end of allocated buffers during SMB2 read request handling due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data, potentially exposing sensitive memory contents to remote attackers.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
all versionsCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify if ksmbd kernel module is loadedRun 'lsmod | grep ksmbd' or check /proc/modules for ksmbd entryAffected if ksmbd module appears in the loaded modules list
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Check if ksmbd service is runningRun 'ps aux | grep ksmbd' or check systemd for ksmbd service statusAffected if ksmbd process is actively running
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Confirm ksmbd is listening on SMB portsRun 'ss -tlnp | grep -E "(445|139)"' or 'netstat -tlnp | grep ksmbd' to check if SMB ports are boundAffected if TCP ports 445 or 139 are open and bound to ksmbd
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Identify active SMB shares being servedCheck /etc/ksmbd/ or run 'ksmbd.control -l' (if available) to list exported sharesAffected if Any SMB shares are exported and accessible to clients
The environment is affected if the ksmbd module is loaded AND actively serving SMB connections, since the vulnerability triggers during SMB2 read request handling on a running server.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataDisable the ksmbd module if SMB file serving is not required, or apply available kernel security patches; limit network exposure of SMB services to trusted networks.
Fix this in Linux Kernel
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-39179 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-39179 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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