Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HSummary
CVE-2026-31727 is a medium-severity NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476) vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel. Its CVSS base score is 5.5 (Medium).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Application or System Exploitation (T1499.004); 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 SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-26540
Vulnerability Data
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: usb: gadget: u_ether: Fix NULL pointer deref in eth_get_drvinfo Commit ec35c1969650 ("usb: gadget: f_ncm: Fix net_device lifecycle with device_move") reparents the gadget device to /sys/devices/virtual during unbind, clearing the gadget…
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pointer. If the userspace tool queries on the surviving interface during this detached window, this leads to a NULL pointer dereference. Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference Call trace: eth_get_drvinfo+0x50/0x90 ethtool_get_drvinfo+0x5c/0x1f0 __dev_ethtool+0xaec/0x1fe0 dev_ethtool+0x134/0x2e0 dev_ioctl+0x338/0x560 Add a NULL check for dev->gadget in eth_get_drvinfo(). When detached, skip copying the fw_version and bus_info strings, which is natively handled by ethtool_get_drvinfo for empty strings.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
NULL pointer dereference in kernel USB gadget driver directly enables local DoS via system exploitation (ethtool-triggered kernel panic).
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Directly implements the added NULL-pointer validation in eth_get_drvinfo before dereferencing dev->gadget, preventing the CWE-476 crash during the detached window.
Requires prompt application of the kernel patch that inserts the defensive NULL check, eliminating the reparenting-induced dereference window.
Memory-protection mechanisms can contain or convert the invalid dereference into a safe fault rather than an uncontrolled kernel panic.
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 (static analysis, code review, safe coding standards) directly prevent NULL dereference bugs during development.
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 can detect NULL dereference defects before release.
Secure SDLC mandates defensive coding practices that can prevent NULL dereferences.
Application security requirements can specify input validation and pointer-safety rules.
Secure architecture principles encourage defensive design that avoids unsafe pointer use.
Secure coding standards directly require NULL-pointer checks and safe dereference patterns.