Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-31678

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.1.168 / 6.6.131 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: openvswitch: defer tunnel netdev_put to RCU release ovs_netdev_tunnel_destroy() may run after NETDEV_UNREGISTER already detached the device. Dropping the netdev reference in destroy can race with concurrent readers that still observe vport->dev. Do not release vport->dev in ovs_netdev_tunnel_destroy(). Instead, let vport_netdev_free() drop the reference from the RCU callback, matching the non-tunnel destroy path and avoiding additional synchronization under RTNL.

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

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

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:>= 4.3, < 6.1.168>= 6.2, < 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 6.1.168 / 6.6.131 / 6.12.80 or later
Fixed in 6.1.1686.6.1316.12.80
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to one of the following fixed kernel versions depending on your current branch: 6.1.168+, 6.6.131+, 6.12.80+, or 6.18.21+

  1. 1. Identify the current kernel version by running: uname -r
  2. 2. Determine which version branch your kernel belongs to (e.g., 6.1.x, 6.2.x, 6.7.x, or 6.13.x)
  3. 3. For kernels in the 6.1.x branch: upgrade to kernel version 6.1.168 or later
  4. 4. For kernels in the 6.2.x through 6.6.x branch: upgrade to kernel version 6.6.131 or later
  5. 5. For kernels in the 6.7.x through 6.12.x branch: upgrade to kernel version 6.12.80 or later
  6. 6. For kernels in the 6.13.x through 6.18.x branch: upgrade to kernel version 6.18.21 or later
  7. 7. After installing the updated kernel, reboot the system to apply the changes
Caveat Kernel upgrades carry standard risk of driver/compatibility issues; ensure critical modules (especially openvswitch and tunnel networking drivers) are compatible with the target version 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 $1,950. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2026-31678 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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