HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2026-31495
MEDIUM

CVE-2026-31495

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

5.5
CVSS v3.1
EPSS:0.03%probability of exploitation in 30 daysPercentile:7.9th

Official Description

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

netfilter: ctnetlink: use netlink policy range checks

Replace manual range and mask validations with netlink policy

annotations in ctnetlink code paths, so that the netlink core rejects

invalid values early and can generate extack errors.

- CTA_PROTOINFO_TCP_STATE: reject values > TCP_CONNTRACK_SYN_SENT2 at

policy level, removing the manual >= TCP_CONNTRACK_MAX check.

- CTA_PROTOINFO_TCP_WSCALE_ORIGINAL/REPLY: reject values > TCP_MAX_WSCALE

(14). The normal TCP option parsing path already clamps to this value,

but the ctnetlink path accepted 0-255, causing undefined behavior when

used as a u32 shift count.

- CTA_FILTER_ORIG_FLAGS/REPLY_FLAGS: use NLA_POLICY_MASK with

CTA_FILTER_F_ALL, removing the manual mask checks.

- CTA_EXPECT_FLAGS: use NLA_POLICY_MASK with NF_CT_EXPECT_MASK, adding

a new mask define grouping all valid expect flags.

Extracted from a broader nf-next patch by Florian Westphal, scoped to

ctnetlink for the fixes tree.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2026-31495 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 availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 5.5.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

All References (8)

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2026-31495
CVSS Score5.5 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
CISA KEVNo
EPSS (30d)0.03%
Affected1 vendor
PublishedApr 22, 2026

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2026-31495 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.