CVE-2026-31739
Published: 01 May 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-31739 is a high-severity Reachable Assertion (CWE-617) vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Application or System Exploitation (T1499.004); ranked at the 33.3th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-2 (Flaw Remediation) and RA-5 (Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2026-31739 is a vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Tegra crypto driver, where asynchronous algorithms lacked the CRYPTO_ALG_ASYNC flag. This caused the crypto API to erroneously select these algorithms for users requesting only synchronous operations, resulting in crashes and at least denial-of-service conditions. The issue affects systems using the Tegra crypto driver, primarily on NVIDIA Tegra-based hardware integrated into the Linux kernel.
An attacker with low privileges (PR:L) can exploit this remotely over the network (AV:N) with low attack complexity and no user interaction required. Successful exploitation leads to high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H), with an overall CVSS v3.1 score of 8.8, as the mismatched algorithm selection triggers kernel crashes or worse.
Mitigation involves applying the upstream kernel patches referenced in the stable git commits, such as 3aea268b6d5cde3b087df9eeecc3bc620aa09513, 429d05565eb19ee545d8a8395991372adbe4daf3, 4b56770d345524fc2acc143a2b85539cf7d74bc1, and bdbf027a4504b4a86740de6beb6d18a957331839. These commits add the missing CRYPTO_ALG_ASYNC flag and remove unnecessary CRYPTO_ALG_TYPE flags to prevent the crypto API misselection. Security practitioners should update affected Linux kernels promptly.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-26552
Vulnerability details
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: tegra - Add missing CRYPTO_ALG_ASYNC The tegra crypto driver failed to set the CRYPTO_ALG_ASYNC on its asynchronous algorithms, causing the crypto API to select them for users that request…
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only synchronous algorithms. This causes crashes (at least). Fix this by adding the flag like what the other drivers do. Also remove the unnecessary CRYPTO_ALG_TYPE_* flags, since those just get ignored and overridden by the registration function anyway.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Kernel crypto misselection triggers crashes (or worse) enabling system/application DoS via exploitation; high CIA impact and remote low-priv vector support this but exact RCE/priv-esc details are not explicit.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Directly requires timely remediation of the kernel flaw by applying patches that add the missing CRYPTO_ALG_ASYNC flag to prevent crypto API misselection and resulting crashes.
Enables identification of the Tegra crypto driver vulnerability through vulnerability scanning of kernel versions for known CVEs like CVE-2026-31739.
Ensures awareness and response to security advisories reporting the kernel crypto driver issue, prompting patch application.