CVE-2026-31525: bpf: Fix undefined behavior in interpreter sdiv/smod for INT_MIN

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-31525 is a high (CVSS 7.8) Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.16% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 5.5% 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: bpf: Fix undefined behavior in interpreter sdiv/smod for INT_MIN The BPF interpreter's signed 32-bit division and modulo handlers use the kernel abs() macro on s32 operands. The abs() macro documentation (include/linux/math.h) explicitly states the result is undefined when the input is the type minimum. When DST contains S32_MIN (0x80000000), abs((s32)DST) triggers undefined behavior and returns S32_MIN unchanged on arm64/x86. This value is then sign-extended to u64 as 0xFFFFFFFF80000000, causing do_div() to compute the wrong result. The verifier's abstract interpretation (scalar32_min_max_sdiv) computes the mathematically correct result for range tracking, creating a verifier/interpreter mismatch that can be exploited for out-of-bounds map value access. Introduce abs_s32() which handles S32_MIN correctly by casting to u32 before negating, avoiding signed overflow entirely. Replace all 8 abs((s32)...) call sites in the interpreter's sdiv32/smod32 handlers. s32 is the only affected case -- the s64 division/modulo handlers do not use abs().

• CWE-787Out-of-bounds WriteThe product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
• CWE-190Integer Overflow or WraparoundThe product performs a calculation that can produce an integer overflow or wraparound when the logic assumes that the resulting value will always be larger than the original value. This occurs when an integer value is incremented to a value that is too large to store in the associated representation. When this occurs, the value may become a very small or negative number.