CopyFail was not disclosed to distro developers?
openwall.com
April 30, 2026
2 min read
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63/100
Summary
CVE-2026-31431 addresses a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Linux, introduced in version 4.14. The issue was linked to commit 72548b093ee38a6d4f2a19e6ef1948ae05c181f7 and has been fixed in subsequent releases.
Key Takeaways
- A local privilege escalation vulnerability, identified as CVE-2026-31431, was introduced in the Linux kernel version 4.14 and has been fixed in versions 6.18.22, 6.19.12, and 7.0.
- The vulnerability is considered one of the worst "make-me-root" vulnerabilities in the kernel in recent times.
- Older long-term kernel versions (6.12, 6.6, 6.1, 5.15, 5.10) have not received the fix, and backporting the fix to these versions is complicated due to API changes.
- There was no advance notice to distributions regarding the vulnerability, as it was not reported to the linux-distros mailing list.
Community Sentiment
Positives
- The discussion highlights the need for better communication between the kernel security team and distribution maintainers, which could enhance overall security practices.
- The existence of a vulnerability disclosure policy, similar to Google's '90+30', suggests a structured approach to handling security issues, which can ultimately improve trust in the ecosystem.
Concerns
- The irresponsible timing of the exploit's disclosure raises serious concerns about the security of shared hosting providers, potentially leading to widespread hacks.
- The lack of communication between vulnerability reporters and distribution teams indicates a flawed process that could leave users vulnerable to attacks.
- The exploit's release for public use before notifying major distributions demonstrates a disregard for user safety and could lead to significant harm.
