CVE-2024-46736

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Server Message Block (SMB) client. This vulnerability occurs in the smb2_rename_path() function when handling specific error conditions during file attribute operations. A local attacker could exploit this flaw, leading to a double free of a file object, which may result in a denial of service.

The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.

To mitigate this issue, if SMB client functionality is not required, prevent the cifs kernel module from loading. This can be achieved by creating a modprobe configuration file.

1. Create a file named /etc/modprobe.d/disable-cifs.conf with the following content:

install cifs /bin/true
blacklist cifs

2. Regenerate the initramfs:
   • For RHEL 8 and 9: dracut -f -v
   • For RHEL 7: dracut -f
3. Reboot the system for the changes to take effect. This mitigation will prevent the system from mounting SMB shares and may impact functionality that relies on SMB client operations.