CVE-2026-31531
MediumIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv4: nexthop: allocate skb dynamically in rtm_get_nexthop() When querying a nexthop object via RTM_GETNEXTHOP, the kernel currently allocates a fixed-size skb using NLMSG_GOODSIZE. While sufficient for single nexthops and small Equal-Cost Multi-Path groups, this fixed allocation fails for large nexthop groups like 512 nexthops. This results in the following warning splat: WARNING: net/ipv4/nexthop.c:3395 at rtm_get_nexthop+0x176/0x1c0, CPU#20: rep/4608 [...] RIP: 0010:rtm_get_nexthop (net/ipv4/nexthop.c:3395) [...] Call Trace: <TASK> rtnetlink_rcv_msg (net/core/rtnetlink.c:6989) netlink_rcv_skb (net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2550) netlink_unicast (net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1319 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1344) netlink_sendmsg (net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1894) ____sys_sendmsg (net/socket.c:721 net/socket.c:736 net/socket.c:2585) ___sys_sendmsg (net/socket.c:2641) __sys_sendmsg (net/socket.c:2671) do_syscall_64 (arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94) entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:130) </TASK> Fix this by allocating the size dynamically using nh_nlmsg_size() and using nlmsg_new(), this is consistent with nexthop_notify() behavior. In addition, adjust nh_nlmsg_size_grp() so it calculates the size needed based on flags passed. While at it, also add the size of NHA_FDB for nexthop group size calculation as it was missing too. This cannot be reproduced via iproute2 as the group size is currently limited and the command fails as follows: addattr_l ERROR: message exceeded bound of 1048
CVSS 3.1 score
5.5
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
5.3
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.12.83,
6.18.24,
6.19.14,
7.0
and their respective stable series.
References
The following references provide additional information about CVE-2026-31531 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/14cf0cd35361f4e94824bf8a42f72713d7702a73
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/40bd39e383a0478fd5c221f393df05fd9d70cfbc
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/615517f3f8d53b0cf41507c7599971e17adfdfa5
Frequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-31531?
CVE-2026-31531 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.3 onward and has been patched in 6.12.83, 6.18.24, 6.19.14 and others. CVE-2026-31531 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
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What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-31531?
CVE-2026-31531 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. -
Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-31531?
Yes — CVE-2026-31531 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.83, 6.18.24, 6.19.14 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.3 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-31531 actively exploited?
No — CVE-2026-31531 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.