CVE-2026-31451 ext4: replace BUG_ON with proper error handling in ext4_read_inline_folio
A local attacker can trigger a kernel panic via a crafted ext4 filesystem image, causing a denial of service.
- 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
What is CVE-2026-31451?
CVE-2026-31451 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 22 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:
ext4: replace BUG_ON with proper error handling in ext4_read_inline_folio
Replace BUG_ON() with proper error handling when inline data size exceeds PAGE_SIZE. This prevents kernel panic and allows the system to continue running while properly reporting the filesystem corruption.
The error is logged via ext4_error_inode(), the buffer head is released to prevent memory leak, and -EFSCORRUPTED is returned to indicate filesystem corruption.
Weakness: CWE-617
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-31451?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2026-31451?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.
Is CVE-2026-31451 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-31451 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as AZL-83339, BELL-CVE-2026-31451, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-31451, GHSA-4jw8-cp5g-24j2, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-31451, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-31451 and 4 more.