CVE-2026-31584 — linux / linux_kernel
Use After FreeIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
media: mediatek: vcodec: fix use-after-free in encoder release path
The fops_vcodec_release() function frees the context structure (ctx) without first cancelling any pending or running work in ctx->encode_work. This creates a race window where the workqueue handler (mtk_venc_worker) may still be accessing the context memory after it has been freed.
Race condition:
CPU 0 (release path) CPU 1 (workqueue)
--------------------- ------------------
fops_vcodec_release()
v4l2_m2m_ctx_release()
v4l2_m2m_cancel_job()
// waits for m2m job "done"
mtk_venc_worker()
v4l2_m2m_job_finish()
// m2m job "done"
// BUT worker still running!
// post-job_finish access:
other ctx dereferences
// UAF if ctx already freed
// returns (job "done")
kfree(ctx) // ctx freed
Root cause: The v4l2_m2m_ctx_release() only waits for the m2m job lifecycle (via TRANS_RUNNING flag), not the workqueue lifecycle. After v4l2_m2m_job_finish() is called, the m2m framework considers the job complete and v4l2_m2m_ctx_release() returns, but the worker function continues executing and may still access ctx.
The work is queued during encode operations via: queue_work(ctx->dev->encode_workqueue, &ctx->encode_work) The worker function accesses ctx->m2m_ctx, ctx->dev, and other ctx fields even after calling v4l2_m2m_job_finish().
This vulnerability was confirmed with KASAN by running an instrumented test module that widens the post-job_finish race window. KASAN detected:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in mtk_venc_worker+0x159/0x180 Read of size 4 at addr ffff88800326e000 by task kworker/u8:0/12
Workqueue: mtk_vcodec_enc_wq mtk_venc_worker
Allocated by task 47: __kasan_kmalloc+0x7f/0x90 fops_vcodec_open+0x85/0x1a0
Freed by task 47: __kasan_slab_free+0x43/0x70 kfree+0xee/0x3a0 fops_vcodec_release+0xb7/0x190
Fix this by calling cancel_work_sync(&ctx->encode_work) before kfree(ctx). This ensures the workqueue handler is both cancelled (if pending) and synchronized (waits for any running handler to complete) before the context is freed.
Placement rationale: The fix is placed after v4l2_ctrl_handler_free() and before list_del_init(&ctx->list). At this point, all m2m operations are done (v4l2_m2m_ctx_release() has returned), and we need to ensure the workqueue is synchronized before removing ctx from the list and freeing it.
Note: The open error path does NOT need cancel_work_sync() because INIT_WORK() only initializes the work structure - it does not schedule it. Work is only scheduled later during device_run() operations.
| Software | From | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| linux / linux_kernel | - | 6.6.136 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.12 | 6.12.83 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.13 | 6.18.24 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.19 | 6.19.14 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 7.0 | 7.0.1 |
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/76e35091ffc722ba39b303e48bc5d08abb59dd56
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/93d9a58961a9e09306857e999b3ee76aa4be67f0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9a9bdaf9dc42ccca50e53f82165292f74a365c11
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a8a55913552aed45108525d1851c65e1db0cc25b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f1692337c6fa26e04f89b22a4d84bf5b7ada50d1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f99353cd0e9f58bf17889049137b8d65fb44ebf1
Deep Security Visibility Without the Complexity
SynScan provides clear, real-time security insights so you can monitor your attack surface, spot risks early, and act fast—without extra complexity.
- No setup fees
- 5-min deployment
- Cancel anytime
Frequently Asked Questions
A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.
A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.
Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.
Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.
SynScan combines attack surface monitoring and continuous security auditing to keep your inventory current, flag high-impact vulnerabilities early, and help you turn raw findings into a practical remediation plan.