# CVE-2026-23331: udp: Unhash auto-bound connected sk from 4-tuple hash table when disconnected.

> A logic error in Linux kernel UDP handling leaves stale entries in hash tables upon disconnection, potentially causing resource exhaustion or denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 25 Mar 2026
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-23331, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-23331, GHSA-jc3m-qg79-3244, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-23331

## What is CVE-2026-23331?

CVE-2026-23331 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

udp: Unhash auto-bound connected sk from 4-tuple hash table when disconnected.

Let's say we bind() an UDP socket to the wildcard address with a
non-zero port, connect() it to an address, and disconnect it from
the address.

bind() sets SOCK_BINDPORT_LOCK on sk->sk_userlocks (but not
SOCK_BINDADDR_LOCK), and connect() calls udp_lib_hash4() to put
the socket into the 4-tuple hash table.

Then, __udp_disconnect() calls sk->sk_prot->rehash(sk).

It computes a new hash based on the wildcard address and moves
the socket to a new slot in the 4-tuple hash table, leaving a
garbage in the chain that no packet hits.

Let's remove such a socket from 4-tuple hash table when disconnected.

Note that udp_sk(sk)->udp_portaddr_hash needs to be udpated after
udp_hash4_dec(hslot2) in udp_unhash4().

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-23331?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-23331?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-23331 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-23331 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-23331 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-23331 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-23331 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-23331/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-23331/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-23331
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-23331
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-23331

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-23331/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.