CVE-2026-31786: Linux kernel · Buffer overflow in drivers/xen/sys-hypervisor.c
Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High · fixed in f458ba102da97fafca106327086fc95f3fc764cb : patch Linux kernel soon.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:07 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 9% 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 f458ba102da97fafca106327086fc95f3fc764cb, e3af585e1728c917682b6a3de9a69b41fb9194d4, d5f59216650c51e5e3fcb7517c825bc8047f60ef +5
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 30 Apr 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: 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 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Buffer overflow in drivers/xen/sys-hypervisor.c The build id returned by HYPERVISOR_xen_version(XENVER_build_id) is neither NUL terminated nor a string. The first causes a buffer overflow as sprintf in buildid_show will read and copy till it finds a NUL. 00000000 f4 91 51 f4 dd 38 9e 9d 65 47 52 eb 10 71 db 50 |..Q..8..eGR..q.P| 00000010 b9 a8 01 42 6f 2e 32 |...Bo.2| 00000017 So use a memcpy instead of sprintf to have the correct value: 00000000 f4 91 51 f4 dd 00 9e 9d 65 47 52 eb 10 71 db 50 |..Q.....eGR..q.P| 00000010 b9 a8 01 42 |...B| 00000014 (the above have a hack to embed a zero inside and check it's returned correctly). This is XSA-485 / CVE-2026-31786
References
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/e3af585e1728c917682b6a3de9a69b41fb9194d4 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/8288d031a01dbacfde3fc643f7be3d23504de64d (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/f458ba102da97fafca106327086fc95f3fc764cb (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/4b4defd2fce3f966c25adabf46644a85558f1169 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/5c5ff7c7bd15bb536f44b10b3fb5b8408f344d0a (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/d5f59216650c51e5e3fcb7517c825bc8047f60ef (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/52cecff98bda2c51eed1c6ce9d21c5d6268fb19d (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/27fdbab4221b375de54bf91919798d88520c6e28 (opens in a new tab)
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/04/28/12 (opens in a new tab)
- xenbits.xen.org/xsa/advisory-485.html (opens in a new tab)