CVE-2026-31731
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: thermal: core: Address thermal zone removal races with resume Since thermal_zone_pm_complete() and thermal_zone_device_resume() re-initialize the poll_queue delayed work for the given thermal zone, the cancel_delayed_work_sync() in thermal_zone_device_unregister() may miss some already running work items and the thermal zone may be freed prematurely [1]. There are two failing scenarios that both start with running thermal_pm_notify_complete() right before invoking thermal_zone_device_unregister() for one of the thermal zones. In the first scenario, there is a work item already running for the given thermal zone when thermal_pm_notify_complete() calls thermal_zone_pm_complete() for that thermal zone and it continues to run when thermal_zone_device_unregister() starts. Since the poll_queue delayed work has been re-initialized by thermal_pm_notify_complete(), the running work item will be missed by the cancel_delayed_work_sync() in thermal_zone_device_unregister() and if it continues to run past the freeing of the thermal zone object, a use-after-free will occur. In the second scenario, thermal_zone_device_resume() queued up by thermal_pm_notify_complete() runs right after the thermal_zone_exit() called by thermal_zone_device_unregister() has returned. The poll_queue delayed work is re-initialized by it before cancel_delayed_work_sync() is called by thermal_zone_device_unregister(), so it may continue to run after the freeing of the thermal zone object, which also leads to a use-after-free. Address the first failing scenario by ensuring that no thermal work items will be running when thermal_pm_notify_complete() is called. For this purpose, first move the cancel_delayed_work() call from thermal_zone_pm_complete() to thermal_zone_pm_prepare() to prevent new work from entering the workqueue going forward. Next, switch over to using a dedicated workqueue for thermal events and update the code in thermal_pm_notify() to flush that workqueue after thermal_pm_notify_prepare() has returned which will take care of all leftover thermal work already on the workqueue (that leftover work would do nothing useful anyway because all of the thermal zones have been flagged as suspended). The second failing scenario is addressed by adding a tz->state check to thermal_zone_device_resume() to prevent it from re-initializing the poll_queue delayed work if the thermal zone is going away. Note that the above changes will also facilitate relocating the suspend and resume of thermal zones closer to the suspend and resume of devices, respectively.
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 analysisMemory is used after it has been freed, so its contents — now potentially attacker-controlled — drive the program's behaviour. With careful heap grooming this becomes code execution. The fix requires disciplined ownership of memory and often a targeted rework of the object lifecycle.
General guidance for the use after free 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>= 6.8, < 6.12.83>= 6.13, < 6.18.22>= 6.19, < 6.19.12= 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
- 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 · scoped6.12.836.18.226.19.12
6.12.83 (for 6.8-6.12.x) or 6.18.22 (for 6.13-6.18.x) or 6.19.12 (for 6.19.x) or latest stable (for 7.0)
- 1. Identify the current running kernel version using `uname -r`
- 2. Determine the appropriate fixed version based on current kernel: for 6.8-6.12.x use 6.12.83, for 6.13-6.18.x use 6.18.22, for 6.19.x use 6.19.12, for 7.0 use latest stable
- 3. Update package repository metadata: on Debian/Ubuntu run `apt update`, on RHEL/CentOS run `yum check-update`
- 4. Install the new kernel package: on Debian/Ubuntu run `apt install linux-image-<version>`, on RHEL/CentOS run `yum install kernel-<version>`
- 5. Update GRUB boot loader configuration if needed: `update-grub` or `grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg`
- 6. Reboot the system into the new kernel: `reboot`
- 7. Verify the kernel version after reboot matches the fixed release: `uname -r`
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-31731 — 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-2026-31731 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
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