Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-31525

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.6.131 / 6.12.80 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click Patch available

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 · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Fix undefined behavior in interpreter sdiv/smod for INT_MIN The BPF interpreter's signed 32-bit division and modulo handlers use the kernel abs() macro on s32 operands. The abs() macro documentation (include/linux/math.h) explicitly states the result is undefined when the input is the type minimum. When DST contains S32_MIN (0x80000000), abs((s32)DST) triggers undefined behavior and returns S32_MIN unchanged on arm64/x86. This value is then sign-extended to u64 as 0xFFFFFFFF80000000, causing do_div() to compute the wrong result. The verifier's abstract interpretation (scalar32_min_max_sdiv) computes the mathematically correct result for range tracking, creating a verifier/interpreter mismatch that can be exploited for out-of-bounds map value access. Introduce abs_s32() which handles S32_MIN correctly by casting to u32 before negating, avoiding signed overflow entirely. Replace all 8 abs((s32)...) call sites in the interpreter's sdiv32/smod32 handlers. s32 is the only affected case -- the s64 division/modulo handlers do not use abs().

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 analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-787

The program writes past the bounds of a buffer, overwriting adjacent memory an attacker can turn to their advantage. Crafted input can overwrite control data and redirect execution. Remediation is validating every index and length before a write, plus modern memory-safety mitigations.

General guidance for the out-of-bounds write 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
Affected:>= 6.6, < 6.6.131>= 6.7, < 6.12.80>= 6.13, < 6.18.21>= 6.19, < 6.19.11= 7.0

CVSS 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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.6.131 / 6.12.80 / 6.18.21 or later
Fixed in 6.6.1316.12.806.18.21
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.6.131+ / 6.12.80+ / 6.18.21+ / 6.19.11+ (or latest stable 6.12.x/6.13.x branch)

  1. Identify the currently running Linux kernel version using `uname -r` or `cat /proc/version`
  2. Determine which affected version range your kernel falls into based on the CVE specification (>= 6.6, < 6.6.131; >= 6.7, < 6.12.80; >= 6.13, < 6.18.21; >= 6.19, < 6.19.11)
  3. Schedule a maintenance window for the kernel upgrade, as it will require a system reboot
  4. Upgrade to a kernel version that resolves the vulnerability: For 6.6.x, upgrade to 6.6.131 or later; For 6.7.x through 6.12.x, upgrade to 6.12.80 or later; For 6.13.x through 6.18.x, upgrade to 6.18.21 or later; For 6.19.x, upgrade to 6.19.11 or later
  5. Alternatively, upgrade to the latest stable kernel release (e.g., 6.12.x or newer stable branch) which includes all security fixes
  6. After reboot, verify the new kernel version is running with `uname -r` and confirm it is beyond the affected version ranges
  7. If BPF programs are in use, test them to ensure functionality is maintained after the fix
Caveat Kernel major version upgrades may require rebuilding out-of-tree kernel modules or drivers; ensure compatibility checks are performed before production deployment

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $3,200. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-31525 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-31525 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data