# CVE-2026-31644: net: lan966x: fix use-after-free and leak in lan966x_fdma_reload()

> A use-after-free in the lan966x network driver allows attackers to cause memory corruption or denial of service via DMA operations.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/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:** 24 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-31644, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-31644, GHSA-24xp-grcx-7gv9, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-31644

## What is CVE-2026-31644?

CVE-2026-31644 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 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:

net: lan966x: fix use-after-free and leak in lan966x_fdma_reload()

When lan966x_fdma_reload() fails to allocate new RX buffers, the restore
path restarts DMA using old descriptors whose pages were already freed
via lan966x_fdma_rx_free_pages(). Since page_pool_put_full_page() can
release pages back to the buddy allocator, the hardware may DMA into
memory now owned by other kernel subsystems.

Additionally, on the restore path, the newly created page pool (if
allocation partially succeeded) is overwritten without being destroyed,
leaking it.

Fix both issues by deferring the release of old pages until after the
new allocation succeeds. Save the old page array before the allocation
so old pages can be freed on the success path. On the failure path, the
old descriptors, pages and page pool are all still valid, making the
restore safe. Also ensure the restore path re-enables NAPI and wakes
the netdev, matching the success path.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-31644?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-31644?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-31644 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-31644 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-2026-31644 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-31644 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 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-2026-31644 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-2026-31644/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-31644/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-31644
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-31644
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-31644

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-31644/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.