CVE-2026-31662: tipc: fix bc_ackers underflow on duplicate GRP_ACK_MSG

Severity: high (CVSS 7.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.4% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-04-24 · updated 2026-10-19
Weakness: CWE-191

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tipc: fix bc_ackers underflow on duplicate GRP_ACK_MSG The GRP_ACK_MSG handler in tipc_group_proto_rcv() currently decrements bc_ackers on every inbound group ACK, even when the same member has already acknowledged the current broadcast round. Because bc_ackers is a u16, a duplicate ACK received after the last legitimate ACK wraps the counter to 65535. Once wrapped, tipc_group_bc_cong() keeps reporting congestion and later group broadcasts on the affected socket stay blocked until the group is recreated. Fix this by ignoring duplicate or stale ACKs before touching bc_acked or bc_ackers. This makes repeated GRP_ACK_MSG handling idempotent and prevents the underflow path.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 4.15.1 before 5.10.253; from 5.11 before 5.15.203; from 5.16 before 6.1.169; from 6.2 before 6.6.135; from 6.7 before 6.12.82; from 6.13 before 6.18.23 — fixed in 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.169, 6.12.82, 6.18.23, 6.19.13

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.169, 6.12.82. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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