Critical severity · published Apr 24, 2026
CVE-2026-31669
mptcp: fix slab-use-after-free in __inet_lookup_established
9.8
CVSS
0.5%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
mptcp: fix slab-use-after-free in __inet_lookup_established
The ehash table lookups are lockless and rely on
SLAB_TYPESAFE_BY_RCU to guarantee socket memory stability
during RCU read-side critical sections. Both tcp_prot and
tcpv6_prot have their slab caches created with this flag
via proto_register().
However, MPTCP's mptcp_subflow_init() copies tcpv6_prot into
tcpv6_prot_override during inet_init() (fs_initcall, level 5),
before inet6_init() (module_init/device_initcall, level 6) has
called proto_register(&tcpv6_prot). At that point,
tcpv6_prot.slab is still NULL, so tcpv6_prot_override.slab
remains NULL permanently.
This causes MPTCP v6 subflow child sockets to be allocated via
kmalloc (falling into kmalloc-4k) instead of the TCPv6 slab
cache. The kmalloc-4k cache lacks SLAB_TYPESAFE_BY_RCU, so
when these sockets are freed without SOCK_RCU_FREE (which is
cleared for child sockets by design), the memory can be
immediately reused. Concurrent ehash lookups under
rcu_read_lock can then access freed memory, triggering a
slab-use-after-free in __inet_lookup_established.
Fix this by splitting the IPv6-specific initialization out of
mptcp_subflow_init() into a new mptcp_subflow_v6_init(), called
from mptcp_proto_v6_init() before protocol registration. This
ensures tcpv6_prot_override.slab correctly inherits the
SLAB_TYPESAFE_BY_RCU slab cache.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.5% · higher than 41% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
KE
Kernel · Linux
5.12.1 before 5.15.203; 5.16 before 6.1.169; 6.2 before 6.6.135; 6.7 before 6.12.82; 6.13 before 6.18.23; 6.19 before 6.19.13; +8 more · source: NVD
LI
Linux · Linux
b19bc2945b40b9fd38e835700907ffe8534ef0de before f6e1f25fa5e733570f6d6fe37a4dfed2a0deba47; b19bc2945b40b9fd38e835700907ffe8534ef0de before fb1f54b7d16f393b8b65d328410f78b4beea8fcc; b19bc2945b40b9fd38e835700907ffe8534ef0de before 3fd6547f5b8ac99687be6d937a0321efda760597; b19bc2945b40b9fd38e835700907ffe8534ef0de before eb9c6aeb512f877cf397deb1e4526f646c70e4a7; b19bc2945b40b9fd38e835700907ffe8534ef0de before 15fa9ead4d5e6b6b9c794e84144146c917f2cb62; b19bc2945b40b9fd38e835700907ffe8534ef0de before b313e9037d98c13938740e5ebda7852929366dff; +2 more · source: vendor
SS
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518-4 PN/DP MFP · Siemens
V3.1.6; V3.1.5; V3.1.7; V3.1.6; V3.1.5; V3.1.7 · source: CISA
SS
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518F-4 PN/DP MFP · Siemens
V3.1.6; V3.1.5; V3.1.7; V3.1.6; V3.1.5; V3.1.7 · source: CISA
SS
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1518-4 PN/DP MFP · Siemens
V3.1.6; V3.1.5; V3.1.7 · source: CISA
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-31669
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-31669
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/15fa9ead4d5e6b6b9c794e84144146c917f2cb62
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3fd6547f5b8ac99687be6d937a0321efda760597
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9b55b253907e7431210483519c5ad711a37dafa1
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b313e9037d98c13938740e5ebda7852929366dff
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/eb9c6aeb512f877cf397deb1e4526f646c70e4a7
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f6e1f25fa5e733570f6d6fe37a4dfed2a0deba47
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