Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2026-31468 is a high-severity Double Free (CWE-415) vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Client Execution (T1203); ranked at the 2th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SA-8 (Security and Privacy Engineering Principles) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-31468 is a double free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's VFIO PCI driver, specifically within the dma-buf feature handled by vfio_pci_core_feature_dma_buf(). The issue occurs in the error path during file descriptor exhaustion scenarios, where the function fails to properly balance dma_buf_put() calls after dma_buf_export(), leading to an unbalanced reference count on the VFIO device and subsequent double free of allocated objects.
The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating it can be exploited by a local attacker with low privileges. Exploitation requires low complexity and no user interaction, potentially allowing the attacker to achieve high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability through memory corruption resulting from the double free.
Mitigation patches are available via Linux kernel stable repository commits at https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/83ad334afc9a645cef1062f5346526b1e36d6516 and https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e98137f0a874ab36d0946de4707aa48cb7137d1c. These fixes relocate the dma_buf_put() call directly into the error path and return the errno, bypassing the unwind chain to prevent the unbalanced refcount and double free.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-24815
Vulnerability Data
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: vfio/pci: Fix double free in dma-buf feature The error path through vfio_pci_core_feature_dma_buf() ignores its own advice to only use dma_buf_put() after dma_buf_export(), instead falling through the entire unwind chain. In…
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the unlikely event that we encounter file descriptor exhaustion, this can result in an unbalanced refcount on the vfio device and double free of allocated objects. Avoid this by moving the "put" directly into the error path and return the errno rather than entering the unwind chain.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 1 hardening rule · 1 OS baseline
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Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation explicitly includes dynamic analysis and fuzzing that locate double-free defects before release.
Security engineering principles can require memory-safe allocation patterns or language features that structurally eliminate double-free opportunities.
Flaw remediation processes require identification and correction of memory-management defects such as double free once discovered.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly prevent double-free errors via static analysis, safe memory APIs, and testing.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development can detect double-free conditions before release.
Secure development life cycle includes memory-safety practices that can prevent double-free bugs.
Application security requirements can mandate memory-safety rules that reduce double-free risk.
Secure system architecture and engineering principles can prescribe safe memory-management patterns.
Secure coding standards directly address proper use of free() and similar functions.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
- V-248590 OL 8 must clear the page allocator to prevent use-after-free attacks. prevents CWE-415