How to Fix CVE-2026-31481: tracing: Drain deferred trigger frees if kthread creation fails in Linux

By Sai Kiran Pandrala

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Last verified: 2026-05-25

CVE-2026-31481 is a tracing: drain deferred trigger frees if kthread creation fails in Linux Linux. Fix it by upgrading to 6.19.11, 7.0.

What is CVE-2026-31481?

CVE-2026-31481 is a tracing: drain deferred trigger frees if kthread creation fails flaw in Linux Linux. The vendor has not published a verified CVSS metric at the time of writing. 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:

tracing: Drain deferred trigger frees if kthread creation fails

Boot-time trigger registration can fail before the trigger-data cleanup

kthread exists. Deferring those frees until late init is fine, but the

post-boot fallback must still drain the deferred list if kthread

creation never succeeds.

Otherwise, boot-deferred nodes can accumulate on

trigger_data_free_list, later frees fall back to synchronously freeing

only the current object, and the older queued entries are leaked

forever.

To trigger this, add the following to the kernel command line:

trace_event=sched_switch trace_trigger=sched_switch.traceon, sched_switch.traceon

The second traceon trigger will fail and be freed. This triggers a NULL

pointer dereference and crashes the kernel.

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-2026-31481

Apply the vendor patch. Target the build named in the Fixed in row above (6.19.11, 7.0). 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 6.19.11, 7.0.

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-2026-31481 being exploited in the wild?

As of 2026-05-25, CVE-2026-31481 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-2026-31481?

A verified CVSS score is not listed in the public record for CVE-2026-31481. Check the vendor advisory and the NVD page for an updated metric.

What version fixes this?

Upgrade to 6.19.11, 7.0.

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

• Official vendor advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/771624b7884a83bb9f922ae64ee41a5f8b7576c9
• NVD entry: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-31481
• CISA KEV catalog: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
• Additional reference: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/250ab25391edeeab8462b68be42e4904506c409c

*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.*