# CVE-2026-31503: udp: Fix wildcard bind conflict check when using hash2

> A logic error in Linux kernel UDP binding allows wildcard binds to succeed despite port conflicts, potentially causing unexpected network behavior.

- **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:** 22 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-83351, BELL-CVE-2026-31503, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-31503, GHSA-8g49-x5x5-4c9c, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-31503, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-31503, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2026-31503, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-31503, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-31503, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-31503

## What is CVE-2026-31503?

CVE-2026-31503 is a medium-severity 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:

udp: Fix wildcard bind conflict check when using hash2

When binding a udp_sock to a local address and port, UDP uses
two hashes (udptable->hash and udptable->hash2) for collision
detection. The current code switches to "hash2" when
hslot->count > 10.

"hash2" is keyed by local address and local port.
"hash" is keyed by local port only.

The issue can be shown in the following bind sequence (pseudo code):

bind(fd1,  "[fd00::1]:8888")
bind(fd2,  "[fd00::2]:8888")
bind(fd3,  "[fd00::3]:8888")
bind(fd4,  "[fd00::4]:8888")
bind(fd5,  "[fd00::5]:8888")
bind(fd6,  "[fd00::6]:8888")
bind(fd7,  "[fd00::7]:8888")
bind(fd8,  "[fd00::8]:8888")
bind(fd9,  "[fd00::9]:8888")
bind(fd10, "[fd00::10]:8888")

/* Correctly return -EADDRINUSE because "hash" is used
 * instead of "hash2". udp_lib_lport_inuse() detects the
 * conflict.
 */
bind(fail_fd, "[::]:8888")

/* After one more socket is bound to "[fd00::11]:8888",
 * hslot->count exceeds 10 and "hash2" is used instead.
 */
bind(fd11, "[fd00::11]:8888")
bind(fail_fd, "[::]:8888")      /* succeeds unexpectedly */

The same issue applies to the IPv4 wildcard address "0.0.0.0"
and the IPv4-mapped wildcard address "::ffff:0.0.0.0". For
example, if there are existing sockets bound to
"192.168.1.[1-11]:8888", then binding "0.0.0.0:8888" or
"[::ffff:0.0.0.0]:8888" can also miss the conflict when
hslot->count > 10.

TCP inet_csk_get_port() already has the correct check in
inet_use_bhash2_on_bind(). Rename it to
inet_use_hash2_on_bind() and move it to inet_hashtables.h
so udp.c can reuse it in this fix.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-31503?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-31503?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-31503 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-31503 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-2026-31503 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-31503 is a medium-severity 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-31503 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-2026-31503/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-31503/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-31503
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-31503
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-31503

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-31503/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.