[PATCH AUTOSEL 5.15 1/7] cifs: Fix cifs_query_path_info() for Windows NT servers

[Sasha Levin <sashal@kernel.org>]

From: Pali Rohár <pali@kernel.org>

[ Upstream commit a3e771afbb3bce91c8296828304903e7348003fe ]

For TRANS2 QUERY_PATH_INFO request when the path does not exist, the
Windows NT SMB server returns error response STATUS_OBJECT_NAME_NOT_FOUND
or ERRDOS/ERRbadfile without the SMBFLG_RESPONSE flag set. Similarly it
returns STATUS_DELETE_PENDING when the file is being deleted. And looks
like that any error response from TRANS2 QUERY_PATH_INFO does not have
SMBFLG_RESPONSE flag set.

So relax check in check_smb_hdr() for detecting if the packet is response
for this special case.

This change fixes stat() operation against Windows NT SMB servers and also
all operations which depends on -ENOENT result from stat like creat() or
mkdir().

Signed-off-by: Pali Rohár <pali@kernel.org>
Signed-off-by: Steve French <stfrench@microsoft.com>
Signed-off-by: Sasha Levin <sashal@kernel.org>
---

**YES** This commit should be backported to stable kernel trees. Here's
my extensive analysis: ## Backport Recommendation: YES ### Nature of the
Fix This is a **targeted bug fix** that addresses a specific protocol
compliance issue with Windows NT SMB servers. The commit fixes a
fundamental problem where basic file operations (`stat()`, `creat()`,
`mkdir()`) fail against Windows NT servers due to overly strict SMB
header validation. ### Code Change Analysis The fix is remarkably
**simple and contained** - only 8 lines of code in a single function:
```c /bin /bin.usr-is-merged /boot /dev /etc /home /init /lib /lib.usr-
is-merged /lib64 /lost+found /media /mnt /opt /proc /root /run /sbin
/sbin.usr-is-merged /snap /srv /sys /tmp /usr /var * Windows NT server
returns error resposne (e.g. STATUS_DELETE_PENDING * or
STATUS_OBJECT_NAME_NOT_FOUND or ERRDOS/ERRbadfile or any other) * for
some TRANS2 requests without the RESPONSE flag set in header. */ if
(smb->Command == SMB_COM_TRANSACTION2 && smb->Status.CifsError != 0)
return 0; ``` The change is in the `check_smb_hdr()` function in
`fs/smb/client/misc.c`, which validates SMB packet headers. The fix
**relaxes validation** only for a very specific case: TRANS2 commands
returning errors from Windows NT servers. ### Risk Assessment: LOW 1.
**Surgical precision**: Only affects SMB1 TRANS2 error responses,
leaving normal operation paths untouched 2. **Conservative approach**:
The condition `smb->Status.CifsError != 0` ensures this only applies to
actual error responses 3. **No behavioral changes** for compliant
servers that properly set the RESPONSE flag 4. **Well-established code
path**: The `check_smb_hdr()` function is mature and stable ### Impact
Assessment: HIGH 1. **Fixes broken functionality**: Without this fix,
basic file operations fail completely against Windows NT servers 2.
**Backward compatibility**: Restores support for legacy but still-used
server environments 3. **User-visible improvement**: Directly fixes
`stat()`, `creat()`, and `mkdir()` operations 4. **No regressions**:
Modern SMB servers continue to work as before ### Comparison with
Similar Commits Looking at the provided similar commits: - **Similar
Commit #2** (Status: YES): Also adds new status code mappings for better
server compatibility - **Similar Commit #3** (Status: YES): Reduces
unnecessary network roundtrips by improving error handling - **Similar
Commit #4** (Status: YES): Fixes WSL reparse point querying over SMB1 -
**Similar Commit #5** (Status: YES): Fixes missing resource cleanup This
commit follows the **same pattern** as these approved backports: small,
targeted fixes that improve compatibility and fix real-world issues
without introducing new features or architectural changes. ### Technical
Justification The Windows NT server behavior described in the commit is
**non-compliant but real**: these servers return error responses for
TRANS2 QUERY_PATH_INFO requests without setting the `SMBFLG_RESPONSE`
flag. The current strict validation incorrectly treats these as invalid
packets, causing the CIFS client to fail when it should handle the
errors properly. The fix is **protocol-aware** and **conservative** - it
only relaxes validation for the specific case where we know Windows NT
behaves differently, ensuring no impact on standard-compliant servers.
### Stable Tree Suitability This commit perfectly fits stable tree
criteria: - ✅ **Important bug fix** affecting real-world usage - ✅
**Minimal and contained** change with clear scope - ✅ **No new
features** - purely fixes existing broken functionality - ✅ **Low
regression risk** due to targeted nature - ✅ **Production-ready** code
following established patterns This should be backported to all stable
kernels that support SMB1 client functionality, as it fixes a
fundamental compatibility issue without any meaningful risk of
regression.

 fs/cifs/misc.c | 8 ++++++++
 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+)

diff --git a/fs/cifs/misc.c b/fs/cifs/misc.c
index 33328eae03d7a..a3d37e7769e61 100644
--- a/fs/cifs/misc.c
+++ b/fs/cifs/misc.c
@@ -297,6 +297,14 @@ check_smb_hdr(struct smb_hdr *smb)
 	if (smb->Command == SMB_COM_LOCKING_ANDX)
 		return 0;
 
+	/*
+	 * Windows NT server returns error resposne (e.g. STATUS_DELETE_PENDING
+	 * or STATUS_OBJECT_NAME_NOT_FOUND or ERRDOS/ERRbadfile or any other)
+	 * for some TRANS2 requests without the RESPONSE flag set in header.
+	 */
+	if (smb->Command == SMB_COM_TRANSACTION2 && smb->Status.CifsError != 0)
+		return 0;
+
 	cifs_dbg(VFS, "Server sent request, not response. mid=%u\n",
 		 get_mid(smb));
 	return 1;
-- 
2.39.5