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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-31744

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.19.12 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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: PM: EM: Fix NULL pointer dereference when perf domain ID is not found dev_energymodel_nl_get_perf_domains_doit() calls em_perf_domain_get_by_id() but does not check the return value before passing it to __em_nl_get_pd_size(). When a caller supplies a non-existent perf domain ID, em_perf_domain_get_by_id() returns NULL, and __em_nl_get_pd_size() immediately dereferences pd->cpus (struct offset 0x30), causing a NULL pointer dereference. The sister handler dev_energymodel_nl_get_perf_table_doit() already handles this correctly via __em_nl_get_pd_table_id(), which returns NULL and causes the caller to return -EINVAL. Add the same NULL check in the get-perf-domains do handler. [ rjw: Subject and changelog edits ]

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-476

The code follows a pointer that is null, crashing the process. An attacker who can reliably trigger it turns the crash into a denial of service. The fix is checking for null before use and handling the failure path gracefully.

General guidance for the null pointer dereference 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:>= 6.19.1, < 6.19.12= 6.19= 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
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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.19.12 or later
Fixed in 6.19.12
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.19.12 or later

  1. Apply the vendor patch from commit 9badc2a84e688be1275bb740942d5f6f51746908 to the Linux Kernel source code
  2. The patch adds a NULL check for the return value of em_perf_domain_get_by_id() before passing it to __em_nl_get_pd_size()
  3. Verify the fix by compiling the kernel and testing the Energy Model netlink interface

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 $2,850. Get the upgrade done

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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-2026-31744 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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