CVE-2026-31400: linux kernel vulnerability

What is known

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sunrpc: fix cache_request leak in cache_release When a reader's file descriptor is closed while in the middle of reading a cache_request (rp->offset != 0), cache_release() decrements the request's readers count but never checks whether it should free the request. In cache_read(), when readers drops to 0 and CACHE_PENDING is clear, the cache_request is removed from the queue and freed along with its buffer and cache_head reference. cache_release() lacks this cleanup. The only other path that frees requests with readers == 0 is cache_dequeue(), but it runs only when CACHE_PENDING transitions from set to clear. If that transition already happened while readers was still non-zero, cache_dequeue() will have skipped the request, and no subsequent call will clean it up. Add the same cleanup logic from cache_read() to cache_release(): after decrementing readers, check if it reached 0 with CACHE_PENDING clear, and if so, dequeue and free the cache_request.

Business impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-31400, a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.5) affecting linux kernel, may affect the confidentiality, integrity or availability of the vulnerable environment. The exact impact depends on the installed version, exposed interfaces and deployment configuration.

Recommended administrator action

Confirm whether linux kernel is present and compare installed versions with the vendor advisory and NVD record. Apply the vendor patch or documented mitigation; until remediation is complete, reduce exposure of affected interfaces, review relevant logs and monitor for indicators of exploitation. DataHouse can support version verification, managed patching, network exposure reduction, log review and backup validation for dedicated, cloud and colocated environments.

Sources

• NVD
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