CVE-2026-31450

High

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: publish jinode after initialization ext4_inode_attach_jinode() publishes ei->jinode to concurrent users. It used to set ei->jinode before jbd2_journal_init_jbd_inode(), allowing a reader to observe a non-NULL jinode with i_vfs_inode still unset. The fast commit flush path can then pass this jinode to jbd2_wait_inode_data(), which dereferences i_vfs_inode->i_mapping and may crash. Below is the crash I observe: ``` BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: 000000010beb47f4 PGD 110e51067 P4D 110e51067 PUD 0 Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP NOPTI CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 4850 Comm: fc_fsync_bench_ Not tainted 6.18.0-00764-g795a690c06a5 #1 PREEMPT(voluntary) Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS Arch Linux 1.17.0-2-2 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:xas_find_marked+0x3d/0x2e0 Code: e0 03 48 83 f8 02 0f 84 f0 01 00 00 48 8b 47 08 48 89 c3 48 39 c6 0f 82 fd 01 00 00 48 85 c9 74 3d 48 83 f9 03 77 63 4c 8b 0f <49> 8b 71 08 48 c7 47 18 00 00 00 00 48 89 f1 83 e1 03 48 83 f9 02 RSP: 0018:ffffbbee806e7bf0 EFLAGS: 00010246 RAX: 000000000010beb4 RBX: 000000000010beb4 RCX: 0000000000000003 RDX: 0000000000000001 RSI: 0000002000300000 RDI: ffffbbee806e7c10 RBP: 0000000000000001 R08: 0000002000300000 R09: 000000010beb47ec R10: ffff9ea494590090 R11: 0000000000000000 R12: 0000002000300000 R13: ffffbbee806e7c90 R14: ffff9ea494513788 R15: ffffbbee806e7c88 FS: 00007fc2f9e3e6c0(0000) GS:ffff9ea6b1444000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 000000010beb47f4 CR3: 0000000119ac5000 CR4: 0000000000750ef0 PKRU: 55555554 Call Trace: <TASK> filemap_get_folios_tag+0x87/0x2a0 __filemap_fdatawait_range+0x5f/0xd0 ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 ? __schedule+0x3e7/0x10c0 ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 ? preempt_count_sub+0x5f/0x80 ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 ? cap_safe_nice+0x37/0x70 ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 ? preempt_count_sub+0x5f/0x80 ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 filemap_fdatawait_range_keep_errors+0x12/0x40 ext4_fc_commit+0x697/0x8b0 ? ext4_file_write_iter+0x64b/0x950 ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 ? preempt_count_sub+0x5f/0x80 ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 ? vfs_write+0x356/0x480 ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 ? preempt_count_sub+0x5f/0x80 ext4_sync_file+0xf7/0x370 do_fsync+0x3b/0x80 ? syscall_trace_enter+0x108/0x1d0 __x64_sys_fdatasync+0x16/0x20 do_syscall_64+0x62/0x2c0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e ... ``` Fix this by initializing the jbd2_inode first. Use smp_wmb() and WRITE_ONCE() to publish ei->jinode after initialization. Readers use READ_ONCE() to fetch the pointer.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-04-22
Last modified 2026-05-06
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

8.8

out of 10
High
Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Weakness type

CWE-476

CVE-2026-31450 is a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability

What is NULL Pointer Dereference?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. Learn more on MITRE CWE

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 3.11 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168, 6.6.134, 6.12.81, 6.18.21, 6.19.11, 7.0 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 3.11
Fixed in
✓ 5.10.253 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.203 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.168 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.134 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.81 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.21 6.18.x ✓ 6.19.11 6.19.x ✓ 7.0

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2026-31450 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-31450?

    CVE-2026-31450 is a High severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 8.8 out of 10 , classified as a NULL Pointer Dereference flaw (CWE-476) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 3.11 onward and has been patched in 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168 and others. CVE-2026-31450 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-31450?

    CVE-2026-31450 has a CVSS score of 8.8 out of 10, rated High severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-31450?

    Yes — CVE-2026-31450 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 3.11 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-31450 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2026-31450 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

  • What is NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)?

    The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. View CWE-476 on MITRE CWE →