# CVE-2026-31426: ACPI: EC: clean up handlers on probe failure in acpi_ec_setup()

> A use-after-free in the Linux kernel ACPI EC driver allows local attackers to cause a system crash or potentially execute code via unprivileged sysfs reads.

- **Severity:** High 7.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 13 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-82712, BELL-CVE-2026-31426, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-31426, GHSA-pj54-f2h3-x57g, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-31426, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-31426, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2026-31426, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-31426, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-31426, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-31426

## What is CVE-2026-31426?

CVE-2026-31426 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 13 Apr 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:

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:
  <TASK>
  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)
  </TASK>

 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 installed): only calls acpi_ec_stop()
  -EPROBE_DEFER (handler installed): removes handler, stops EC

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-31426?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-31426?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-31426 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-31426 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-2026-31426 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-31426 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 13 Apr 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-2026-31426 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-2026-31426/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-31426/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-31426
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-31426
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-31426

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-31426/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.