CVE-2026-31778
HighIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ALSA: caiaq: fix stack out-of-bounds read in init_card The loop creates a whitespace-stripped copy of the card shortname where `len < sizeof(card->id)` is used for the bounds check. Since sizeof(card->id) is 16 and the local id buffer is also 16 bytes, writing 16 non-space characters fills the entire buffer, overwriting the terminating nullbyte. When this non-null-terminated string is later passed to snd_card_set_id() -> copy_valid_id_string(), the function scans forward with `while (*nid && ...)` and reads past the end of the stack buffer, reading the contents of the stack. A USB device with a product name containing many non-ASCII, non-space characters (e.g. multibyte UTF-8) will reliably trigger this as follows: BUG: KASAN: stack-out-of-bounds in copy_valid_id_string sound/core/init.c:696 [inline] BUG: KASAN: stack-out-of-bounds in snd_card_set_id_no_lock+0x698/0x74c sound/core/init.c:718 The off-by-one has been present since commit bafeee5b1f8d ("ALSA: snd_usb_caiaq: give better shortname") from June 2009 (v2.6.31-rc1), which first introduced this whitespace-stripping loop. The original code never accounted for the null terminator when bounding the copy. Fix this by changing the loop bound to `sizeof(card->id) - 1`, ensuring at least one byte remains as the null terminator.
CVSS 3.1 score
7.1
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
Weakness type
CWE-125CVE-2026-31778 is a Out-of-bounds Read vulnerability
What is Out-of-bounds Read?
The product reads data past the end or before the beginning of the intended buffer. Learn more on MITRE CWE
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
2.6.31
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.
References
The following references provide additional information about CVE-2026-31778 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/02d9c5b0b5553a391448b6d655262bd829f90234
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3178b62e2e31bab39f63d4c8e54bf4ee0a425627
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3afa2e67f3523a980a2f90fd63c22322ac2b9ce0
Frequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-31778?
CVE-2026-31778 is a High severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.1 out of 10 , classified as an Out-of-bounds Read flaw (CWE-125) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 2.6.31 onward and has been patched in 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168 and others. CVE-2026-31778 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-2026-31778?
CVE-2026-31778 has a CVSS score of 7.1 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:N/A:H. -
Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-31778?
Yes — CVE-2026-31778 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 2.6.31 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-31778 actively exploited?
No — CVE-2026-31778 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
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What is Out-of-bounds Read (CWE-125)?
The product reads data past the end or before the beginning of the intended buffer. View CWE-125 on MITRE CWE →