Vulnerability Database

374,624

Total vulnerabilities in the database

CVE-2026-31598 — linux / linux_kernel

Improper Locking

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ocfs2: fix possible deadlock between unlink and dio_end_io_write

ocfs2_unlink takes orphan dir inode_lock first and then ip_alloc_sem, while in ocfs2_dio_end_io_write, it acquires these locks in reverse order. This creates an ABBA lock ordering violation on lock classes ocfs2_sysfile_lock_key[ORPHAN_DIR_SYSTEM_INODE] and ocfs2_file_ip_alloc_sem_key.

Lock Chain #0 (orphan dir inode_lock -> ip_alloc_sem): ocfs2_unlink ocfs2_prepare_orphan_dir ocfs2_lookup_lock_orphan_dir inode_lock(orphan_dir_inode) <- lock A __ocfs2_prepare_orphan_dir ocfs2_prepare_dir_for_insert ocfs2_extend_dir ocfs2_expand_inline_dir down_write(&oi->ip_alloc_sem) <- Lock B

Lock Chain #1 (ip_alloc_sem -> orphan dir inode_lock): ocfs2_dio_end_io_write down_write(&oi->ip_alloc_sem) <- Lock B ocfs2_del_inode_from_orphan() inode_lock(orphan_dir_inode) <- Lock A

Deadlock Scenario: CPU0 (unlink) CPU1 (dio_end_io_write)


inode_lock(orphan_dir_inode) down_write(ip_alloc_sem) down_write(ip_alloc_sem) inode_lock(orphan_dir_inode)

Since ip_alloc_sem is to protect allocation changes, which is unrelated with operations in ocfs2_del_inode_from_orphan. So move ocfs2_del_inode_from_orphan out of ip_alloc_sem to fix the deadlock.

  • Published: Apr 24, 2026
  • Updated: Apr 28, 2026
  • CVE: CVE-2026-31598
  • Severity: High
  • Exploit:
  • CISA KEV:

CVSS v3:

  • Severity: High
  • Score: 7.5
  • AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CWEs:

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.