Out-of-bounds Read in Linux

CVE-2026-31449

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: validate p_idx bounds in ext4_ext_correct_indexes ext4_ext_correct_indexes() walks up the extent tree correcting index entries when the first extent in a leaf is modified. Before accessing path[k].p_idx->ei_block, there is no validation that p_idx falls within the valid range of index entries for that level. If the on-disk extent header contains a corrupted or crafted eh_entries value, p_idx can point past the end of the allocated buffer, causing a slab-out-of-bounds read. Fix this by validating path[k].p_idx against EXT_LAST_INDEX() at both access sites: before the while loop and inside it. Return -EFSCORRUPTED if the index pointer is out of range, consistent with how other bounds violations are handled in the ext4 extent tree code.

Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.002 (8.4th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 8th percentile — 8.4% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2026-31449: held from 0.001 to 0.002.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.001 · newest: 0.002 · change: +0.001

Affected products

  • Linux — versions a86c61812637c7dd0c57e29880cffd477b62f2e7, 5.15.210, 6.19.11
  • Linux Kernel — versions 2.6.19, 7.0

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-31449?
CVE-2026-31449 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under Out-of-bounds Read. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2026-04-22.
How severe is CVE-2026-31449?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.