Out-of-bounds read in Linux kernel - CVE-2026-31742

Vulnerability details

The vulnerability allows a local user to cause a denial of service.

The vulnerability exists due to an out-of-bounds read in the virtual terminal unicode screen buffer handling when leaving the alternate screen after a console resize. A local user can trigger alternate screen transitions and resize the console to cause a kernel oops.

The issue occurs when a stale saved unicode buffer is restored after the console dimensions have changed, causing buffer iteration to use mismatched row and column dimensions.

Affected software

How to mitigate CVE-2026-31742

External References

• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/40014493cece72a0be5672cd86763e53fb3ec613
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/428fdf55301e6c8fa5a36b426240797b1cf86570
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/891d790fdb5c96c6e1d2841e06ee6c360f2d1288

Related Security Bulletins

• Out-of-bounds read in Linux kernel tty vt driver