CVE-2026-31474: can: isotp: fix tx.buf use-after-free in isotp_sendmsg()

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-31474 is a high (CVSS 7.8) Use After Free vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.10% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 1% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 22-04-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 19-10-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: can: isotp: fix tx.buf use-after-free in isotp_sendmsg() isotp_sendmsg() uses only cmpxchg() on so->tx.state to serialize access to so->tx.buf. isotp_release() waits for ISOTP_IDLE via wait_event_interruptible() and then calls kfree(so->tx.buf). If a signal interrupts the wait_event_interruptible() inside close() while tx.state is ISOTP_SENDING, the loop exits early and release proceeds to force ISOTP_SHUTDOWN and continues to kfree(so->tx.buf) while sendmsg may still be reading so->tx.buf for the final CAN frame in isotp_fill_dataframe(). The so->tx.buf can be allocated once when the standard tx.buf length needs to be extended. Move the kfree() of this potentially extended tx.buf to sk_destruct time when either isotp_sendmsg() and isotp_release() are done.

• CWE-416Use After FreeThe product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.
• CWE-364Signal Handler Race ConditionThe product uses a signal handler that introduces a race condition.