CVE-2026-53396
HIGHDescription
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfsd: fix posix_acl leak and ignored error in nfsd4_create_file nfsd4_create_file() has two bugs in its ACL handling: The return value of nfsd4_acl_to_attr() is silently discarded. When the NFSv4-to-POSIX ACL conversion fails (e.g., -EINVAL for unsupported ACE types), the file is created without any ACL and the client receives NFS4_OK. This violates RFC 7530/8881 which require the server to reject unsupported attributes on CREATE. When start_creating() fails after ACL attributes have been populated in attrs (either via nfsd4_acl_to_attr or via ownership transfer from open->op_dpacl/op_pacl), the function jumps to out_write which skips nfsd_attrs_free(). The posix_acl allocations are leaked. A client can trigger this repeatedly with OPEN(CREATE), ACL attributes, and an invalid filename (e.g., longer than NAME_MAX). Fix both by capturing the nfsd4_acl_to_attr() return value and by changing the early error paths to jump to out instead of out_write. Initialize child to ERR_PTR(-EINVAL) so that end_creating() is safe to call even if start_creating() was never reached.
How to fix
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 31% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory (Memory Leak)) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2020-13934 | High | 7.5 | 64% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2016-6304 | High | 7.5 | 63% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2019-12265 | Medium | 5.3 | 60% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2001-0136 | Medium | 5.0 | 45% | - | - |
| CVE-2016-4232 | High | 7.5 | 36% | - | - |
| CVE-2001-0543 | Medium | 5.0 | 19% | - | - |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2026-53396?
Upgrade linux on debian unstable to 7.1.3-1 or later.
Is CVE-2026-53396 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2026-53396 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 0.38% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 31% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2026-53396?
CVE-2026-53396 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.1, rated high. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2026-53396 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for linux (Debian). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
Embed a live status badge for CVE-2026-53396
Markdown
[](https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2026-53396)HTML
<a href="https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2026-53396"><img src="https://tridentstack.com/cve/badge/CVE-2026-53396.svg" alt="CVE-2026-53396"></a>Find and fix vulnerabilities across your fleet
TridentStack Control continuously scans your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet for known vulnerabilities, prioritizes them by severity and active exploitation, and patches them automatically.
This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-08-17.