CVE-2026-31521

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: module: Fix kernel panic when a symbol st_shndx is out of bounds The module loader doesn't check for bounds of the ELF section index in simplify_symbols(): for (i = 1; i < symsec->sh_size / sizeof(Elf_Sym); i++) { const char *name = info->strtab + sym[i].st_name; switch (sym[i].st_shndx) { case SHN_COMMON: [...] default: /* Divert to percpu allocation if a percpu var. */ if (sym[i].st_shndx == info->index.pcpu) secbase = (unsigned long)mod_percpu(mod); else /** HERE --> **/ secbase = info->sechdrs[sym[i].st_shndx].sh_addr; sym[i].st_value += secbase; break; } } A symbol with an out-of-bounds st_shndx value, for example 0xffff (known as SHN_XINDEX or SHN_HIRESERVE), may cause a kernel panic: BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ... RIP: 0010:simplify_symbols+0x2b2/0x480 ... Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception This can happen when module ELF is legitimately using SHN_XINDEX or when it is corrupted. Add a bounds check in simplify_symbols() to validate that st_shndx is within the valid range before using it. This issue was discovered due to a bug in llvm-objcopy, see relevant discussion for details [1]. [1] https://lore.kernel.org/linux-modules/[email protected]/

Published: 2026-04-22 Last update: 2026-04-23 Assigner: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2026-31521 is rated Low Risk (6.8/100): low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.02%). Mandatory action: Low composite risk—no urgent action required; patch on your normal maintenance cycle and revisit priority if CVSS or EPSS increases.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-31521

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-04-23 0.02%

Full EPSS history (1 record total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-31521

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

No CVSS data in dataset for this CVE.

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-31521

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2026-31521

GHSA-h7p4-fpxw-m265 · Severity: medium — In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: module: Fix kernel panic...

OS Trackers for CVE-2026-31521

vendor priority summary link
debian not yet assigned CVE-2026-31521 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 2 source packages (linux, linux-6.1), 6 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5, open 1. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-31521
redhat medium https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-31521
suse high https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-31521/
ubuntu medium CVE-2026-31521 medium priority: Ubuntu including 161 source packages (linux, linux-allwinner-5.19, …), 1449 status rows across 9 suites (bionic, focal, jammy, noble, questing, resolute, trusty, upstream, xenial): DNE 1048, ignored 173, needed 130, released 83, not-affected 11, needs-triage 4. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-31521

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-31521

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
No affected products in dataset.

References for CVE-2026-31521

cvelogic Threat Intelligence