# CVE-2026-31665: netfilter: nft_ct: fix use-after-free in timeout object destroy

> A use-after-free in the Linux kernel netfilter module allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges via concurrent packet processing.

- **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:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-83726, BELL-CVE-2026-31665, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-31665, GHSA-m7w2-jxf2-6j36, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-31665, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-31665, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2026-31665, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-31665, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-31665, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-31665

## What is CVE-2026-31665?

CVE-2026-31665 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:

netfilter: nft_ct: fix use-after-free in timeout object destroy

nft_ct_timeout_obj_destroy() frees the timeout object with kfree()
immediately after nf_ct_untimeout(), without waiting for an RCU grace
period. Concurrent packet processing on other CPUs may still hold
RCU-protected references to the timeout object obtained via
rcu_dereference() in nf_ct_timeout_data().

Add an rcu_head to struct nf_ct_timeout and use kfree_rcu() to defer
freeing until after an RCU grace period, matching the approach already
used in nfnetlink_cttimeout.c.

KASAN report:
 BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in nf_conntrack_tcp_packet+0x1381/0x29d0
 Read of size 4 at addr ffff8881035fe19c by task exploit/80

 Call Trace:
  nf_conntrack_tcp_packet+0x1381/0x29d0
  nf_conntrack_in+0x612/0x8b0
  nf_hook_slow+0x70/0x100
  __ip_local_out+0x1b2/0x210
  tcp_sendmsg_locked+0x722/0x1580
  __sys_sendto+0x2d8/0x320

 Allocated by task 75:
  nft_ct_timeout_obj_init+0xf6/0x290
  nft_obj_init+0x107/0x1b0
  nf_tables_newobj+0x680/0x9c0
  nfnetlink_rcv_batch+0xc29/0xe00

 Freed by task 26:
  nft_obj_destroy+0x3f/0xa0
  nf_tables_trans_destroy_work+0x51c/0x5c0
  process_one_work+0x2c4/0x5a0

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-31665?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-31665?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-31665 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-31665 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-2026-31665 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-31665 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-2026-31665 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-2026-31665/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-31665/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-31665
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-31665
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-31665

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-31665/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.