⚠ Reference material — not professional advice. Test in staging, back up first, verify against your specific version. Use your own judgment for your environment.
● High · CVSS 7.8

How to Fix CVE-2026-31469: virtio_net: Fix UAF on dst_ops when IFF_XMIT_DST_RELEASE is cleared and napi_tx is false

By Sai Kiran Pandrala

Other vulnerabilities in the same area that are worth patching alongside this one:

Last verified: 2026-05-25

CVE-2026-31469 is a virtio_net: fix uaf on dst_ops when iff_xmit_dst_release is cleared and napi_tx is false in Linux Linux. Fix it by upgrading to 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168, 6.6.131, 6.12.80, 6.18.21.

⚡ At a glance
SeverityCVSS 7.8 - High
Actively exploited?Not currently in the CISA KEV catalog
AffectedLinux f2fc6a54585a1be6669613a31fbaba2ecbadcd36 up to (excluding) be0e63f3b97bbaf453c542e8a15ba2a536e2ac01; Linux f2fc6a54585a1be6669613a31fbaba2ecbadcd36 up to (excluding) c1ec36cb3768574b916f20d2d7415fd14fa1bf12; Linux f2fc6a54585a1be6669613a31fbaba2ecbadcd36 up to (excluding) 8a4790850e710fd6771e4d2112168ed1dd6c0e54; Linux f2fc6a54585a1be6669613a31fbaba2ecbadcd36 up to (excluding) fedd2e1630cac920844997227ccbe7b26a76375a; Linux f2fc6a54585a1be6669613a31fbaba2ecbadcd36 up to (excluding) f04733c4dc40c43899c3d1c97afbae5831a3770f; Linux f2fc6a54585a1be6669613a31fbaba2ecbadcd36 up to (excluding) 9a18629f2525781f0f3dda7be72b204e4cf77d08
Fixed in5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168, 6.6.131, 6.12.80, 6.18.21
Type (CWE)Not verified

What is CVE-2026-31469?

CVE-2026-31469 is a virtio_net: fix uaf on dst_ops when iff_xmit_dst_release is cleared and napi_tx is false flaw in Linux Linux. It carries a CVSS base score of 7.8 (high). It is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

From the source record: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

virtio_net: Fix UAF on dst_ops when IFF_XMIT_DST_RELEASE is cleared and napi_tx is false

A UAF issue occurs when the virtio_net driver is configured with napi_tx=N

and the device's IFF_XMIT_DST_RELEASE flag is cleared

(e.g., during the configuration of tc route filter rules).

When IFF_XMIT_DST_RELEASE is removed from the net_device, the network stack

expects the driver to hold the reference to skb->dst until the packet

is fully transmitted and freed. In virtio_net with napi_tx=N,

skbs may remain in the virtio transmit ring for an extended period.

If the network namespace is destroyed while these skbs are still pending,

the corresponding dst_ops structure has freed. When a subsequent packet

is transmitted, free_old_xmit() is triggered to clean up old skbs.

Why it matters in practice: The blast radius depends on how the affected service is exposed. An internet-facing instance with no compensating controls is the highest-risk configuration.

Am I affected?

You are affected if your installation of Linux matches a version listed in the Affected row above.


# Debian/Ubuntu
dpkg -s linux | grep Version
# RHEL/Rocky
rpm -q linux

How to fix CVE-2026-31469

Apply the vendor patch. Target the build named in the Fixed in row above (5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168, 6.6.131, 6.12.80, 6.18.21). The runnable command set below covers the most common deployment patterns for Linux.

Ubuntu / Debian


sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade linux
dpkg -s linux | grep Version

RHEL / CentOS / Rocky


sudo dnf upgrade linux -y
rpm -q linux

After applying the patch

  1. Restart the service or device so the patched binary loads.
  2. Confirm the running version matches the Fixed in row using the verification command below.
  3. Rotate credentials and API keys that the affected service could access if the asset was exposed during the disclosure window.

If you can't patch immediately

Until the patch lands, narrow the attack surface with these runnable controls.

Restrict network exposure

Block public access to the affected service at the perimeter. Allow only trusted source IPs.


# Linux iptables: only allow trusted admin subnet
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 10.10.10.0/24 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP
sudo iptables-save | sudo tee /etc/iptables/rules.v4


# Windows firewall: only allow trusted admin subnet on management port
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Restrict-Mgmt-Allow" -Direction Inbound -Action Allow `
  -RemoteAddress 10.10.10.0/24 -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 443
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Restrict-Mgmt-Deny"  -Direction Inbound -Action Block `
  -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 443

Mitigations are temporary. Apply the vendor patch as soon as a maintenance window opens.

How to verify the fix worked

Confirm the patched build is the one actually running.


# Debian/Ubuntu
dpkg -s linux | grep Version
# RHEL/Rocky
rpm -q linux

Expected: a version at or above 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168, 6.6.131, 6.12.80, 6.18.21.

Also worth doing: pull recent log windows for indicators of compromise listed in the vendor advisory, and re-run an authenticated vulnerability scan with up-to-date signatures.

Frequently asked questions

Is CVE-2026-31469 being exploited in the wild?

As of 2026-05-25, CVE-2026-31469 is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Watch the catalog and patch on a normal cadence; KEV status can change as exploitation evidence emerges.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-31469?

The CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).

What version fixes this?

Upgrade to 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168, 6.6.131, 6.12.80, 6.18.21.

Will a WAF or IDS rule alone close this?

No. Network filters cut down opportunistic scans but they do not remove the flaw. The vendor patch is the only durable fix.

References

*Assembled from the official vendor advisory, the NVD record, and the CISA KEV listing on 2026-05-25. Always confirm against the vendor advisory before applying changes in production.*