Security assessments indicate that CVE-2026-31654 presents a notable risk, potentially requiring prompt mitigation.
Status: Analyzed
Last updated: 🕗 27 Apr 2026, 20:16 UTC
Originally published on: 🕒 24 Apr 2026, 15:16 UTC
Time between publication and last update: 3 days
CVSS Release: version 3
nvd@nist.gov
Primary
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVE-2026-31654: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/vma: fix memory leak in __mmap_region() commit 605f6586ecf7 ("mm/vma: do not leak memory when .mmap_prepare swaps the file") handled the success path by skipping get_file() via file_doesnt_need_get, but missed the error path. When /dev/zero is mmap'd with MAP_SHARED, mmap_zero_prepare() calls shmem_zero_setup_desc() which allocates a new shmem file to back the mapping. If __mmap_new_vma() subsequently fails, this replacement file is never fput()'d - the original is released by ksys_mmap_pgoff(), but nobody releases the new one. Add fput() for the swapped file in the error path. Reproducible with fault injection. FAULT_INJECTION: forcing a failure. name failslab, interval 1, probability 0, space 0, times 1 CPU: 2 UID: 0 PID: 366 Comm: syz.7.14 Not tainted 7.0.0-rc6 #2 PREEMPT(full) Hardware name: QEMU Ubuntu 24.04 PC v2 (i440FX + PIIX, arch_caps fix, 1996), BIOS 1.16.3-debian-1.16.3-2 04/01/2014 Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x164/0x1f0 should_fail_ex+0x525/0x650 should_failslab+0xdf/0x140 kmem_cache_alloc_noprof+0x78/0x630 vm_area_alloc+0x24/0x160 __mmap_region+0xf6b/0x2660 mmap_region+0x2eb/0x3a0 do_mmap+0xc79/0x1240 vm_mmap_pgoff+0x252/0x4c0 ksys_mmap_pgoff+0xf8/0x120 __x64_sys_mmap+0x12a/0x190 do_syscall_64+0xa9/0x580 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e </TASK> kmemleak: 1 new suspected memory leaks (see /sys/kernel/debug/kmemleak) BUG: memory leak unreferenced object 0xffff8881118aca80 (size 360): comm "syz.7.14", pid 366, jiffies 4294913255 hex dump (first 32 bytes): 00 00 00 00 ad 4e ad de ff ff ff ff 00 00 00 00 .....N.......... ff ff ff ff ff ff ff ff c0 28 4d ae ff ff ff ff .........(M..... backtrace (crc db0f53bc): kmem_cache_alloc_noprof+0x3ab/0x630 alloc_empty_file+0x5a/0x1e0 alloc_file_pseudo+0x135/0x220 __shmem_file_setup+0x274/0x420 shmem_zero_setup_desc+0x9c/0x170 mmap_zero_prepare+0x123/0x140 __mmap_region+0xdda/0x2660 mmap_region+0x2eb/0x3a0 do_mmap+0xc79/0x1240 vm_mmap_pgoff+0x252/0x4c0 ksys_mmap_pgoff+0xf8/0x120 __x64_sys_mmap+0x12a/0x190 do_syscall_64+0xa9/0x580 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e Found by syzkaller.
The exploitability of CVE-2026-31654 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
CVE-2026-31654 presents an accessible attack vector with minimal effort required. Restricting access controls and implementing security updates are critical to reducing exploitation risks.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2026-31654, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2026-31654, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
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