Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2026-31517
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: iptfs: fix skb_put() panic on non-linear skb during reassembly In iptfs_reassem_cont(), IP-TFS attempts to append data to the new inner packet 'newskb' that is being reassembled. First a zero-copy approach is tried if it succeeds then newskb becomes non-linear. When a subsequent fragment in the same datagram does not meet the fast-path conditions, a memory copy is performed. It calls skb_put() to append the data and as newskb is non-linear it triggers SKB_LINEAR_ASSERT check. Oops: invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] SMP NOPTI [...] RIP: 0010:skb_put+0x3c/0x40 [...] Call Trace: <IRQ> iptfs_reassem_cont+0x1ab/0x5e0 [xfrm_iptfs] iptfs_input_ordered+0x2af/0x380 [xfrm_iptfs] iptfs_input+0x122/0x3e0 [xfrm_iptfs] xfrm_input+0x91e/0x1a50 xfrm4_esp_rcv+0x3a/0x110 ip_protocol_deliver_rcu+0x1d7/0x1f0 ip_local_deliver_finish+0xbe/0x1e0 __netif_receive_skb_core.constprop.0+0xb56/0x1120 __netif_receive_skb_list_core+0x133/0x2b0 netif_receive_skb_list_internal+0x1ff/0x3f0 napi_complete_done+0x81/0x220 virtnet_poll+0x9d6/0x116e [virtio_net] __napi_poll.constprop.0+0x2b/0x270 net_rx_action+0x162/0x360 handle_softirqs+0xdc/0x510 __irq_exit_rcu+0xe7/0x110 irq_exit_rcu+0xe/0x20 common_interrupt+0x85/0xa0 </IRQ> <TASK> Fix this by checking if the skb is non-linear. If it is, linearize it by calling skb_linearize(). As the initial allocation of newskb originally reserved enough tailroom for the entire reassembled packet we do not need to check if we have enough tailroom or extend it.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysisAllocated memory is never released on some path, so a long-running service or a repeatedly triggered request steadily consumes memory until performance degrades or the process crashes. Attackers exploit it by simply driving the leaking path. Remediation is pairing every allocation with a release and using ownership patterns or tooling to catch what leaks.
General guidance for the memory leak class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
>= 6.14.1, < 6.18.21>= 6.19, < 6.19.11= 6.14= 7.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped6.18.216.19.11
Linux Kernel 6.18.21 or 6.19.11 (whichever branch is applicable)
- 1. Identify the currently running kernel version using 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version'
- 2. Check if the running kernel version falls within the affected range: 6.14, 6.14.1 through 6.18.20, or 6.19.0 through 6.19.10
- 3. If affected, schedule a maintenance window for kernel upgrade
- 4. Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 6.18.21 or later for the 6.18.x branch, OR version 6.19.11 or later for the 6.19.x branch
- 5. For systems at version 7.0, upgrade to the latest stable kernel that includes the fix
- 6. After reboot, verify the kernel version using 'uname -r' and confirm it shows 6.18.21+, 6.19.11+, or a later version
- 7. Test IP-TFS (IP-Tunneled Fragmentation and Reassembly) functionality if used in the environment
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-31517 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-31517 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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