CVE-2026-31649
Published: April 24, 2026· Updated: Apr 27, 2026
Official Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net: stmmac: fix integer underflow in chain mode
The jumbo_frm() chain-mode implementation unconditionally computes
len = nopaged_len - bmax;
where nopaged_len = skb_headlen(skb) (linear bytes only) and bmax is
BUF_SIZE_8KiB or BUF_SIZE_2KiB. However, the caller stmmac_xmit()
decides to invoke jumbo_frm() based on skb->len (total length including
page fragments):
is_jumbo = stmmac_is_jumbo_frm(priv, skb->len, enh_desc);
When a packet has a small linear portion (nopaged_len <= bmax) but a
large total length due to page fragments (skb->len > bmax), the
subtraction wraps as an unsigned integer, producing a huge len value
(~0xFFFFxxxx). This causes the while (len != 0) loop to execute
hundreds of thousands of iterations, passing skb->data + bmax * i
pointers far beyond the skb buffer to dma_map_single(). On IOMMU-less
SoCs (the typical deployment for stmmac), this maps arbitrary kernel
memory to the DMA engine, constituting a kernel memory disclosure and
potential memory corruption from hardware.
Fix this by introducing a buf_len local variable clamped to
min(nopaged_len, bmax). Computing len = nopaged_len - buf_len is then
always safe: it is zero when the linear portion fits within a single
descriptor, causing the while (len != 0) loop to be skipped naturally,
and the fragment loop in stmmac_xmit() handles page fragments afterward.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-31649 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.
The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.
A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
Official Patches & Advisories
All References (8)
Quick Facts
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2026-31649 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts