CVE-2026-31555

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: futex: Clear stale exiting pointer in futex_lock_pi() retry path Fuzzying/stressing futexes triggered: WARNING: kernel/futex/core.c:825 at wait_for_owner_exiting+0x7a/0x80, CPU#11: futex_lock_pi_s/524 When futex_lock_pi_atomic() sees the owner is exiting, it returns -EBUSY and stores a refcounted task pointer in 'exiting'. After wait_for_owner_exiting() consumes that reference, the local pointer is never reset to nil. Upon a retry, if futex_lock_pi_atomic() returns a different error, the bogus pointer is passed to wait_for_owner_exiting(). CPU0 CPU1 CPU2 futex_lock_pi(uaddr) // acquires the PI futex exit() futex_cleanup_begin() futex_state = EXITING; futex_lock_pi(uaddr) futex_lock_pi_atomic() attach_to_pi_owner() // observes EXITING *exiting = owner; // takes ref return -EBUSY wait_for_owner_exiting(-EBUSY, owner) put_task_struct(); // drops ref // exiting still points to owner goto retry; futex_lock_pi_atomic() lock_pi_update_atomic() cmpxchg(uaddr) *uaddr ^= WAITERS // whatever // value changed return -EAGAIN; wait_for_owner_exiting(-EAGAIN, exiting) // stale WARN_ON_ONCE(exiting) Fix this by resetting upon retry, essentially aligning it with requeue_pi.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-04-24
Last modified 2026-04-27
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

5.5

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

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 4.4.255, 4.9.255, 4.14.158, 4.19.172, 5.4.1, 5.5 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168, 6.6.131, 6.12.80, 6.18.21, 6.19.11, 7.0 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 4.4.255 ≥ 4.9.255 ≥ 4.14.158 ≥ 4.19.172 ≥ 5.4.1 ≥ 5.5
Fixed in
✓ 5.10.253 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.203 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.168 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.131 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.80 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-2026-31555 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-2026-31555?

    CVE-2026-31555 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.4.255 onward and has been patched in 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168 and others. CVE-2026-31555 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-31555?

    CVE-2026-31555 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-2026-31555?

    Yes — CVE-2026-31555 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.4.255 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-31555 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2026-31555 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.