CVE-2026-31680

High

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ipv6: flowlabel: defer exclusive option free until RCU teardown `ip6fl_seq_show()` walks the global flowlabel hash under the seq-file RCU read-side lock and prints `fl->opt->opt_nflen` when an option block is present. Exclusive flowlabels currently free `fl->opt` as soon as `fl->users` drops to zero in `fl_release()`. However, the surrounding `struct ip6_flowlabel` remains visible in the global hash table until later garbage collection removes it and `fl_free_rcu()` finally tears it down. A concurrent `/proc/net/ip6_flowlabel` reader can therefore race that early `kfree()` and dereference freed option state, triggering a crash in `ip6fl_seq_show()`. Fix this by keeping `fl->opt` alive until `fl_free_rcu()`. That matches the lifetime already required for the enclosing flowlabel while readers can still reach it under RCU.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-04-25
Last modified 2026-05-06
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

7.8

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

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 3.9 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168, 6.6.134, 6.12.81, 6.18.22, 6.19.12, 7.0 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 3.9
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 ✓ 6.18.22 6.18.x ✓ 6.19.12 6.19.x ✓ 7.0

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2026-31680 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-2026-31680?

    CVE-2026-31680 is a High severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 3.9 onward and has been patched in 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168 and others. CVE-2026-31680 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-31680?

    CVE-2026-31680 has a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10, rated High severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-31680?

    Yes — CVE-2026-31680 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 3.9 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-31680 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2026-31680 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.