CVE-2026-31579

Description

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's WireGuard component. A local user could trigger a hung task by causing contention for the rtnl_lock() within the wg_netns_pre_exit() callback. This issue can lead to a Denial of Service (DoS), where the system becomes unresponsive as cleanup operations block indefinitely.

Statement

This Moderate flaw in the Linux kernel's WireGuard component allows a local attacker to trigger a Denial of Service. A local user can cause a hung task by creating contention for the rtnl_lock() during network namespace teardown. This vulnerability affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 and 10.

Mitigation

To mitigate this issue, if the WireGuard VPN is not actively used, the `wireguard` kernel module can be prevented from loading. This can be achieved by creating a blacklist rule in `/etc/modprobe.d/`.

Example:
`echo "blacklist wireguard" | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-wireguard.conf`
`sudo dracut -f`

A system reboot is required for the changes to take effect. This action will disable all WireGuard VPN functionality on the system.

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 HatNVDcve.org
Base Score5.55.5N/A
Attack VectorLocalLocalN/A
Attack ComplexityLowLowN/A
Privileges RequiredLowLowN/A
User InteractionNoneNoneN/A
ScopeUnchangedUnchangedN/A
ConfidentialityNoneNoneN/A
Integrity ImpactNoneNoneN/A
Availability ImpactHighHighN/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

Understanding the Weakness (CWE)

Availability

Technical Impact: DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Other); DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart

Each thread of execution will "hang" and prevent tasks from completing. In some cases, CPU consumption may occur if a lock check occurs in a tight loop.

Frequently Asked Questions

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