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CVE-2026-74631

8.4
High
EPSS 0.14%Patch availableAug 25, 2026

Linux kernel SMC splice refcount bug causes use-after-free enabling kernel crash or escalation.

common questions

Is CVE-2026-74631 being exploited?

Not confirmed. CVE-2026-74631 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.14% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How severe is CVE-2026-74631?

CVE-2026-74631 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.4. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.

Is there a patch for CVE-2026-74631?

Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-74631. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.

What does CVE-2026-74631 affect?

CVE-2026-74631 affects Linux kernel (SMC subsystem), Linux servers with SMC/SMC-R or RDMA enabled. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.

What should I do about CVE-2026-74631?

Apply kernel/vendor security updates and reboot affected hosts.

Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.

executive summary
technical analysis
affected
Linux kernel (SMC subsystem)Linux servers with SMC/SMC-R or RDMA enabled
impact

Local attacker can trigger a kernel use-after-free via SMC splice, causing denial-of-service or local privilege escalation to root.

action required

Patch when possible

affected versions
Linux Linux
  • affected>= 9014db202cb764b8e14c53e7bacc81f9a1a2ba7f and < 7ddc7af2ae7fc5a0c0635b245c0824c8b76de5cb
  • affected>= 9014db202cb764b8e14c53e7bacc81f9a1a2ba7f and < 07ad246529d136d5ef441d5ab4c305d132ff3090
  • affected>= 9014db202cb764b8e14c53e7bacc81f9a1a2ba7f and < c841789e456ec6751342fa800639ce8e82ff0e6b
  • affected>= 9014db202cb764b8e14c53e7bacc81f9a1a2ba7f and < af02c67ce654356c58db20a0bb2db33ace3b07a8
  • affected>= 9014db202cb764b8e14c53e7bacc81f9a1a2ba7f and < ca8342b5fc24c249fdb998468f6a168b457c67e5
  • affected>= 9014db202cb764b8e14c53e7bacc81f9a1a2ba7f and < 0b7d54cedea5cb158e21925ae0c6c2f5c87ed2a0
  • affected>= 9014db202cb764b8e14c53e7bacc81f9a1a2ba7f and < 4515c78f4d9fd577270f012efeb062ea58b3682d
  • affected>= 9014db202cb764b8e14c53e7bacc81f9a1a2ba7f and < 5d9686af2976741bbd79b150d1c9e60b81e7f12e
  • affected4.18
vendor says fixed in< 4.18, >= 5.10.266 and <= 5.10.*, >= 5.15.217 and <= 5.15.*, >= 6.1.183 and <= 6.1.*, >= 6.6.152 and <= 6.6.*, >= 6.12.104 and <= 6.12.*, >= 6.18.45 and <= 6.18.*, >= 7.1.9 and <= 7.1.*, >= 7.2 and <= *

As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.

how to fix
Remediation steps are tailored for users whose stack is affected. Add this technology to your stack to see the fix checklist.
references
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