Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2026-31426

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ACPI: EC: clean up handlers on probe failure in acpi_ec_setup() When ec_install_handlers() returns…

Published Apr 13, 2026 · catalog updated Jun 17, 2026 · linux kernel

Check if you run it

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2026-31426. EPSS is 0.15%. Act only if a listed version of linux kernel is installed.

Gaps on this record

  • No vendor fix or required action is stored. Compare the linked advisory before you change production.
Severity
High7.0
Known exploitation
Not in CISA/VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
0.15%
Remediation
Advisory link
Affected products
cpe linux/linux kernel

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ACPI: EC: clean up handlers on probe failure in acpi_ec_setup() When ec_install_handlers() returns -EPROBE_DEFER on reduced-hardware platforms, it has already started the EC and installed the address space handler with the struct acpi_ec pointer as handler context. However, acpi_ec_setup() propagates the error without any cleanup. The caller acpi_ec_add() then frees the struct acpi_ec for non-boot instances, leaving a dangling handler context in ACPICA. Any subsequent AML evaluation that accesses an EC OpRegion field dispatches into acpi_ec_space_handler() with the freed pointer, causing a use-after-free: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in mutex_lock (kernel/locking/mutex.c:289) Write of size 8 at addr ffff88800721de38 by task init/1 Call Trace: mutex_lock (kernel/locking/mutex.c:289) acpi_ec_space_handler (drivers/acpi/ec.c:1362) acpi_ev_address_space_dispatch (drivers/acpi/acpica/evregion.c:293) acpi_ex_access_region (drivers/acpi/acpica/exfldio.c:246) acpi_ex_field_datum_io (drivers/acpi/acpica/exfldio.c:509) acpi_ex_extract_from_field (drivers/acpi/acpica/exfldio.c:700) acpi_ex_read_data_from_field (drivers/acpi/acpica/exfield.c:327) acpi_ex_resolve_node_to_value (drivers/acpi/acpica/exresolv.c:392) Allocated by task 1: acpi_ec_alloc (drivers/acpi/ec.c:1424) acpi_ec_add (drivers/acpi/ec.c:1692) Freed by task 1: kfree (mm/slub.c:6876) acpi_ec_add (drivers/acpi/ec.c:1751) The bug triggers on reduced-hardware EC platforms (ec->gpe < 0) when the GPIO IRQ provider defers probing. Once the stale handler exists, any unprivileged sysfs read that causes AML to touch an EC OpRegion (battery, thermal, backlight) exercises the dangling pointer. Fix this by calling ec_remove_handlers() in the error path of acpi_ec_setup() before clearing first_ec. ec_remove_handlers() checks each EC_FLAGS_* bit before acting, so it is safe to call regardless of how far ec_install_handlers() progressed: -ENODEV (handler not i

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  • cpe linux/linux kernel5.7
  • cpe linux/linux kernel7.0

How to fix CVE-2026-31426

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2026-31426. EPSS is 0.15%. Act only if a listed version of linux kernel is installed.

Which versions are affected?

Compare what you have installed with linux/linux kernel 5.7; linux/linux kernel 7.0. Compare the installed version with the linked vendor advisory before you change production.

What should an analyst verify?

CWE-416: Use After Free. EPSS 0.15%. There is no CISA KEV listing. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. Apr 13, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Detected

    In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ACPI: EC: clean up handlers on probe failure in acpi_ec_setup() When ec_install_handlers() returns -EPROBE_DEFER on reduced-hardware platforms, it has already started the EC and installed the address space handler with the struct acpi_ec pointer as handler context. However, acpi_ec_setup() propagates the error without any cleanup.

  2. Jun 17, 2026 · NIST NVD

    Updated

    In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ACPI: EC: clean up handlers on probe failure in acpi_ec_setup() When ec_install_handlers() returns -EPROBE_DEFER on reduced-hardware platforms, it has already started the EC and installed the address space handler with the struct acpi_ec pointer as handler context. However, acpi_ec_setup() propagates the error without any cleanup.

Sources

  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2026-31426

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2026-31426

    30-day exploitation probability 0.2%

    first.org
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2026-31426

    In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ACPI: EC: clean up handlers on probe failure in acpi_ec_setup() When ec_install_handlers() returns -EPROBE_DEFER on reduced-hardware platforms, it has already started the EC and installed the address space hand

    nvd.nist.gov

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Oct 18, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.