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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-31731: Linux kernel · Race Condition

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High · fixed in c4593f1654f7dea3bcf9bb1851ded86311d4f370 : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.09% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 0% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CISA SSVC
Exploitation
No evidence of active exploitation and no public proof of concept
Automatable
Attackers cannot reliably automate steps 1–4 of the kill chain
Technical impact
Total control over the software or total information disclosure

CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-10-16.

Patch
Available – fixed in c4593f1654f7dea3bcf9bb1851ded86311d4f370, 45b859b0728267a6199ee5002d62e6c6f3e8c89d, 2dbe93f344f10b432b95a23304006be805c097a1 +1
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 1 May 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq 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 26 Oct 2026.

What to do

Upgrade Linux kernel to c4593f1654f7dea3bcf9bb1851ded86311d4f370, 45b859b0728267a6199ee5002d62e6c6f3e8c89d, 2dbe93f344f10b432b95a23304006be805c097a1 or 1a6d2b001eb730d85f00da39ae7db6f3b4edc540.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 5a5efdaffda5d23717d9117cf36cda9eafcf2fae, < c4593f1654f7dea3bcf9bb1851ded86311d4f370
Fixed in
  • c4593f1654f7dea3bcf9bb1851ded86311d4f370
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 5a5efdaffda5d23717d9117cf36cda9eafcf2fae, < 45b859b0728267a6199ee5002d62e6c6f3e8c89d
Fixed in
  • 45b859b0728267a6199ee5002d62e6c6f3e8c89d
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 5a5efdaffda5d23717d9117cf36cda9eafcf2fae, < 2dbe93f344f10b432b95a23304006be805c097a1
Fixed in
  • 2dbe93f344f10b432b95a23304006be805c097a1
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 5a5efdaffda5d23717d9117cf36cda9eafcf2fae, < 1a6d2b001eb730d85f00da39ae7db6f3b4edc540
Fixed in
  • 1a6d2b001eb730d85f00da39ae7db6f3b4edc540
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • =6.8
Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix is available and has been applied in the Linux kernel. Users should update to the fixed kernel version 6.8 or later containing the patches identified by the commits c4593f1654f7dea3bcf9bb1851ded86311d4f370, 45b859b0728267a6199ee5002d62e6c6f3e8c89d, 2dbe93f344f10b432b95a23304006be805c097a1, and 1a6d2b001eb730d85f00da39ae7db6f3b4edc540. No additional mitigation is required beyond applying the official fix.

Description

CVE-2026-31731 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's thermal subsystem. It arises from race conditions between thermal zone removal and resume operations, where delayed work items may continue running after the thermal zone object has been freed. The flaw is addressed by reordering work cancellation, using a dedicated workqueue, flushing leftover work, and adding state checks to prevent re-initialization of work on zones being removed.

References

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