CVE-2026-31701
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA) caiaq driver. This vulnerability arises from improper handling of Universal Serial Bus (USB) device references. When a USB device is disconnected, the driver may attempt to access memory that has already been freed, a condition known as use-after-free. This can lead to system instability, crashes, or potentially allow a local attacker to execute arbitrary code.
Statement
The caiaq USB-audio driver now holds a refcount on the USB device during card creation so teardown cannot race a disappearing bus. Red Hat recommends kernel updates for this hardware; optional mitigation is unloading snd_usb_caiaq where unused.
Mitigation
To mitigate this issue, prevent the snd_usb_caiaq module from being loaded. See https://access.redhat.com/solutions/41278 for instructions.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.5 | 5.5 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | N/A |
| Privileges Required | Low | Low | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | None | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | None | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | None | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | High | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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