CVE-2026-31681: netfilter: xt_multiport: validate range encoding in checkentry

Severity: medium (CVSS 5.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.1% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-04-25 · updated 2026-10-15

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: xt_multiport: validate range encoding in checkentry ports_match_v1() treats any non-zero pflags entry as the start of a port range and unconditionally consumes the next ports[] element as the range end. The checkentry path currently validates protocol, flags and count, but it does not validate the range encoding itself. As a result, malformed rules can mark the last slot as a range start or place two range starts back to back, leaving ports_match_v1() to step past the last valid ports[] element while interpreting the rule. Reject malformed multiport v1 rules in checkentry by validating that each range start has a following element and that the following element is not itself marked as another range start.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 2.6.17 before 6.6.136; from 6.7 before 6.12.83; from 6.13 before 6.18.24; from 6.19 before 6.19.14; 7.0-rc1, 7.0-rc2, 7.0-rc3, 7.0-rc4, 7.0-rc5, 7.0-rc6 (+1) — fixed in 6.12.83, 6.18.24, 6.19.14, 6.6.136

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 6.12.83, 6.18.24, 6.19.14, 6.6.136. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

Get alerted when CVE-2026-31681 or the next vulnerability affects your stack