HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2026-31486
HIGH

CVE-2026-31486

Published: April 22, 2026· Updated: Apr 28, 2026

7.1
CVSS v3.1
EPSS:0.02%probability of exploitation in 30 daysPercentile:4.1th

Official Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

hwmon: (pmbus/core) Protect regulator operations with mutex

The regulator operations pmbus_regulator_get_voltage(),

pmbus_regulator_set_voltage(), and pmbus_regulator_list_voltage()

access PMBus registers and shared data but were not protected by

the update_lock mutex. This could lead to race conditions.

However, adding mutex protection directly to these functions causes

a deadlock because pmbus_regulator_notify() (which calls

regulator_notifier_call_chain()) is often called with the mutex

already held (e.g., from pmbus_fault_handler()). If a regulator

callback then calls one of the now-protected voltage functions,

it will attempt to acquire the same mutex.

Rework pmbus_regulator_notify() to utilize a worker function to

send notifications outside of the mutex protection. Events are

stored as atomics in a per-page bitmask and processed by the worker.

Initialize the worker and its associated data during regulator

registration, and ensure it is cancelled on device removal using

devm_add_action_or_reset().

While at it, remove the unnecessary include of linux/of.h.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2026-31486 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.1.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Linux1 product
linux kernel
Source: NVD CPE · 3 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
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Official Patches & Advisories

All References (3)

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2026-31486
CVSS Score7.1 / 10
SeverityHIGH
CISA KEVNo
EPSS (30d)0.02%
Affected1 vendor
PublishedApr 22, 2026

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2026-31486 in threat intel feeds
  • Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.