# CVE-2026-31678: openvswitch: defer tunnel netdev_put to RCU release

> A race condition in the Linux kernel's Open vSwitch tunnel destruction can lead to a use-after-free, potentially causing a system crash.

- **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:** 25 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-84216, BELL-CVE-2026-31678, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-31678, GHSA-x9m6-8j85-qvqg, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-31678, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-31678, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-31678, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-31678, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-31678

## What is CVE-2026-31678?

CVE-2026-31678 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 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:

openvswitch: defer tunnel netdev_put to RCU release

ovs_netdev_tunnel_destroy() may run after NETDEV_UNREGISTER already
detached the device. Dropping the netdev reference in destroy can race
with concurrent readers that still observe vport->dev.

Do not release vport->dev in ovs_netdev_tunnel_destroy(). Instead, let
vport_netdev_free() drop the reference from the RCU callback, matching
the non-tunnel destroy path and avoiding additional synchronization
under RTNL.

Weakness: CWE-367 (Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition), CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-31678?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-31678?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-31678 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-31678 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-2026-31678 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-31678 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 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-2026-31678 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-2026-31678/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-31678/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-31678
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-31678
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-31678

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-31678/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.