Description
smbmnt in Samba 2.x and 3.x on Linux 2.6, when installed setuid, allows local users to gain root privileges by mounting a Samba share that contains a setuid root program, whose setuid attributes are not cleared when the share is mounted.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | samba | 3.0.2-2 | — |
| Debian 13 | samba | 3.0.2-2 | — |
| Debian 12 | samba | 3.0.2-2 | — |
| Debian 3.0 | samba | 2.2.3a-13 | DSA-463 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
Exploit-DB 1
- Samba 2.2.8 (Linux Kernel 2.6 / Debian / Mandrake) - Share Privilege Escalation EDB-23674 · local · Feb 9, 2004 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 1
- DSA-463 samba - privilege escalation Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- 20040211 Re: Samba 3.x + kernel 2.6.x local root vulnerability mailing-list
- 3916 vdb-entry
- samba-smbmnt-gain-privileges(15131) vdb-entry
- 20040209 Samba 3.x + kernel 2.6.x local root vulnerability mailing-list
- DSA-463 vendor-advisory
- 9619 vdb-entry