Improper access control in Linux kernel - CVE-2026-31561
Published: April 25, 2026
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a local privileged user to disable security protections.
The vulnerability exists due to improper access control in CR4 pinning logic when modifying CR4 during early boot on application processors that are not online yet. A local privileged user can modify the online bit in writable memory and disable CR4 pinning to disable SMAP/SMEP and disable security protections.
The issue is particularly relevant in SEV-ES, SEV-SNP, or TDX guest environments during a short early-boot window.
Affected software
Debian Linux
SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15
SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15
Legacy Module
SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching
Public Cloud Module
Development Tools Module
Basesystem Module
SUSE Real Time Module
kernel-livepatch-6_4_0-150700_7_67-rt
kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7-RT_Update_18-debugsource
kernel-livepatch-6_4_0-150700_7_67-rt-debuginfo
kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7_Update_19-debugsource
kernel-livepatch-6_4_0-150700_53_73-default
kernel-livepatch-6_4_0-150700_53_73-default-debuginfo
kernel-rt-devel-debuginfo
kernel-rt
kernel-source-rt
kernel-devel-rt
kernel-rt-debuginfo
dlm-kmp-rt
kernel-rt-debugsource
ocfs2-kmp-rt-debuginfo
kernel-syms-rt
cluster-md-kmp-rt-debuginfo
gfs2-kmp-rt-debuginfo
kernel-rt-devel
dlm-kmp-rt-debuginfo
ocfs2-kmp-rt
cluster-md-kmp-rt
gfs2-kmp-rt
kernel-source
kernel-syms
kernel-devel
kernel-macros
kernel-docs
kernel-obs-build
ocfs2-kmp-default-debuginfo
kernel-obs-build-debugsource
gfs2-kmp-default-debuginfo
kernel-azure-debugsource
reiserfs-kmp-default
reiserfs-kmp-default-debuginfo
kernel-default-extra-debuginfo
kernel-default-extra
kernel-default-livepatch-devel
kernel-default-livepatch
kernel-azure
kernel-azure-debuginfo
kernel-azure-devel-debuginfo
kernel-azure-devel
cluster-md-kmp-default
kernel-default-debugsource
kernel-default-debuginfo
kernel-default-devel
kernel-default-devel-debuginfo
kernel-64kb
kernel-64kb-debugsource
kernel-64kb-devel
kernel-64kb-devel-debuginfo
kernel-64kb-debuginfo
kernel-default
kernel-zfcpdump-debugsource
kernel-zfcpdump-debuginfo
kernel-zfcpdump
ocfs2-kmp-default
dlm-kmp-default-debuginfo
cluster-md-kmp-default-debuginfo
dlm-kmp-default
gfs2-kmp-default
kernel-default-base
linux (Debian package)
How to mitigate CVE-2026-31561
kernel-livepatch-6_4_0-150700_7_67-rt - update to 1-150700.1.5.1
kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7-RT_Update_18-debugsource - update to 1-150700.1.5.1
kernel-livepatch-6_4_0-150700_7_67-rt-debuginfo - update to 1-150700.1.5.1
kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7_Update_19-debugsource - update to 1-150700.15.3.4
kernel-livepatch-6_4_0-150700_53_73-default - update to 1-150700.15.3.4
kernel-livepatch-6_4_0-150700_53_73-default-debuginfo - update to 1-150700.15.3.4
kernel-rt-devel-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.7.67.1
kernel-rt - update to 6.4.0-150700.7.67.1
kernel-source-rt - update to 6.4.0-150700.7.67.1
kernel-devel-rt - update to 6.4.0-150700.7.67.1
kernel-rt-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.7.67.1
dlm-kmp-rt - update to 6.4.0-150700.7.67.1
kernel-rt-debugsource - update to 6.4.0-150700.7.67.1
ocfs2-kmp-rt-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.7.67.1
kernel-syms-rt - update to 6.4.0-150700.7.67.1
cluster-md-kmp-rt-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.7.67.1
gfs2-kmp-rt-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.7.67.1
kernel-rt-devel - update to 6.4.0-150700.7.67.1
dlm-kmp-rt-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.7.67.1
ocfs2-kmp-rt - update to 6.4.0-150700.7.67.1
cluster-md-kmp-rt - update to 6.4.0-150700.7.67.1
gfs2-kmp-rt - update to 6.4.0-150700.7.67.1
kernel-source - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.1
kernel-syms - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.1
kernel-devel - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.1
kernel-macros - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.1
kernel-docs - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.1
kernel-obs-build - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
ocfs2-kmp-default-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-obs-build-debugsource - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
gfs2-kmp-default-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-azure-debugsource - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
reiserfs-kmp-default - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
reiserfs-kmp-default-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-default-extra-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-default-extra - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-default-livepatch-devel - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-default-livepatch - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-azure - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-azure-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-azure-devel-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-azure-devel - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
cluster-md-kmp-default - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-default-debugsource - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-default-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-default-devel - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-default-devel-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-64kb - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-64kb-debugsource - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-64kb-devel - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-64kb-devel-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-64kb-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-default - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-zfcpdump-debugsource - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-zfcpdump-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-zfcpdump - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
ocfs2-kmp-default - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
dlm-kmp-default-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
cluster-md-kmp-default-debuginfo - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
dlm-kmp-default - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
gfs2-kmp-default - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2
kernel-default-base - update to 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2.150700.17.41.4
linux (Debian package) - update to 6.12.85-1