CVE-2026-31695: Linux kernel · wifi: virt_wifi: remove SET_NETDEV_DEV to avoid use-after-free
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.
Data as of 11 Nov 2026, 23:24 UTC
Thin evidence
One scorer or none| CNA (Linux) | CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 |
|---|
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 2% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 1 May 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 11 Nov 2026.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: virt_wifi: remove SET_NETDEV_DEV to avoid use-after-free Currently we execute `SET_NETDEV_DEV(dev, &priv->lowerdev->dev)` for the virt_wifi net devices. However, unregistering a virt_wifi device in netdev_run_todo() can happen together with the device referenced by SET_NETDEV_DEV(). It can result in use-after-free during the ethtool operations performed on a virt_wifi device that is currently being unregistered. Such a net device can have the `dev.parent` field pointing to the freed memory, but ethnl_ops_begin() calls `pm_runtime_get_sync(dev->dev.parent)`. Let's remove SET_NETDEV_DEV for virt_wifi to avoid bugs like this: ================================================================== BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __pm_runtime_resume+0xe2/0xf0 Read of size 2 at addr ffff88810cfc46f8 by task pm/606 Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x4d/0x70 print_report+0x170/0x4f3 ? __pfx__raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x10/0x10 kasan_report+0xda/0x110 ? __pm_runtime_resume+0xe2/0xf0 ? __pm_runtime_resume+0xe2/0xf0 __pm_runtime_resume+0xe2/0xf0 ethnl_ops_begin+0x49/0x270 ethnl_set_features+0x23c/0xab0 ? __pfx_ethnl_set_features+0x10/0x10 ? kvm_sched_clock_read+0x11/0x20 ? local_clock_noinstr+0xf/0xf0 ? local_clock+0x10/0x30 ? kasan_save_track+0x25/0x60 ? __kasan_kmalloc+0x7f/0x90 ? genl_family_rcv_msg_attrs_parse.isra.0+0x150/0x2c0 genl_family_rcv_msg_doit+0x1e7/0x2c0 ? __pfx_genl_family_rcv_msg_doit+0x10/0x10 ? __pfx_cred_has_capability.isra.0+0x10/0x10 ? stack_trace_save+0x8e/0xc0 genl_rcv_msg+0x411/0x660 ? __pfx_genl_rcv_msg+0x10/0x10 ? __pfx_ethnl_set_features+0x10/0x10 netlink_rcv_skb+0x121/0x380 ? __pfx_genl_rcv_msg+0x10/0x10 ? __pfx_netlink_rcv_skb+0x10/0x10 ? __pfx_down_read+0x10/0x10 genl_rcv+0x23/0x30 netlink_unicast+0x60f/0x830 ? __pfx_netlink_unicast+0x10/0x10 ? __pfx___alloc_skb+0x10/0x10 netlink_sendmsg+0x6ea/0xbc0 ? __pfx_netlink_sendmsg+0x10/0x10 ? __futex_queue+0x10b/0x1f0 ____sys_sendmsg+0x7a2/0x950 ? copy_msghdr_from_user+0x26b/0x430 ? __pfx_____sys_sendmsg+0x10/0x10 ? __pfx_copy_msghdr_from_user+0x10/0x10 ___sys_sendmsg+0xf8/0x180 ? __pfx____sys_sendmsg+0x10/0x10 ? __pfx_futex_wait+0x10/0x10 ? fdget+0x2e4/0x4a0 __sys_sendmsg+0x11f/0x1c0 ? __pfx___sys_sendmsg+0x10/0x10 do_syscall_64+0xe2/0x570 ? exc_page_fault+0x66/0xb0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f </TASK> This fix may be combined with another one in the ethtool subsystem: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20260322075917.254874-1-alex.popov@linux.com/T/#u
References
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/e90f3e74e1ebc26c461a74be490d322716bcdcb4 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/dcb5915696bd7b32b6404a897c24ee47cb23e772 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/d1e3aa80e6e04410ba89eaaba4441a0d749d181d (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/c5fa98842783ed227365d1303785de6a67020c8d (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/5bbadf60b121065ffb267ec92018607b9c1c7524 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/5adc01506da94dfaab76f3d1b8410a8ca7bfc59d (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/789b06f9f39cdc7e895bdab2c034e39c41c8f8d6 (opens in a new tab)