CVE-2026-31656 Details
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/i915/gt: fix refcount underflow in intel_engine_park_heartbeat A use-after-free / refcount underflow is possible when the heartbeat worker and intel_engine_park_heartbeat() race to release the same engine->heartbeat.systole request. The heartbeat worker reads engine->heartbeat.systole and calls i915_request_put() on it when the request is complete, but clears the pointer in a separate, non-atomic step. Concurrently, a request retirement on another CPU can drop the engine wakeref to zero, triggering __engine_park() -> intel_engine_park_heartbeat(). If the heartbeat timer is pending at that point, cancel_delayed_work() returns true and intel_engine_park_heartbeat() reads the stale non-NULL systole pointer and calls i915_request_put() on it again, causing a refcount underflow: ``` <4> [487.221889] Workqueue: i915-unordered engine_retire [i915] <4> [487.222640] RIP: 0010:refcount_warn_saturate+0x68/0xb0 ... <4> [487.222707] Call Trace: <4> [487.222711] <TASK> <4> [487.222716] intel_engine_park_heartbeat.part.0+0x6f/0x80 [i915] <4> [487.223115] intel_engine_park_heartbeat+0x25/0x40 [i915] <4> [487.223566] __engine_park+0xb9/0x650 [i915] <4> [487.223973] ____intel_wakeref_put_last+0x2e/0xb0 [i915] <4> [487.224408] __intel_wakeref_put_last+0x72/0x90 [i915] <4> [487.224797] intel_context_exit_engine+0x7c/0x80 [i915] <4> [487.225238] intel_context_exit+0xf1/0x1b0 [i915] <4> [487.225695] i915_request_retire.part.0+0x1b9/0x530 [i915] <4> [487.226178] i915_request_retire+0x1c/0x40 [i915] <4> [487.226625] engine_retire+0x122/0x180 [i915] <4> [487.227037] process_one_work+0x239/0x760 <4> [487.227060] worker_thread+0x200/0x3f0 <4> [487.227068] ? __pfx_worker_thread+0x10/0x10 <4> [487.227075] kthread+0x10d/0x150 <4> [487.227083] ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 <4> [487.227092] ret_from_fork+0x3d4/0x480 <4> [487.227099] ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 <4> [487.227107] ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 <4> [487.227141] </TASK> ``` Fix this by replacing the non-atomic pointer read + separate clear with xchg() in both racing paths. xchg() is a single indivisible hardware instruction that atomically reads the old pointer and writes NULL. This guarantees only one of the two concurrent callers obtains the non-NULL pointer and performs the put, the other gets NULL and skips it. (cherry picked from commit 13238dc0ee4f9ab8dafa2cca7295736191ae2f42)
A use-after-free vulnerability leading to a reference count underflow has been identified in the Linux kernel's Intel graphics driver. This issue arises in versions of the kernel that include the affected Intel graphics components. The vulnerability occurs when the heartbeat worker and the function 'intel_engine_park_heartbeat()' race to release the same heartbeat request. The heartbeat worker reads the request pointer and decrements the reference count when the request is complete, but clears the pointer in a separate, non-atomic step. Meanwhile, a request retirement on another CPU can drop the engine's wake reference to zero, triggering 'intel_engine_park_heartbeat()'. If the heartbeat timer is still pending, this function reads the stale, non-NULL pointer and decrements the reference count again, causing an underflow.
Users can upgrade to the latest version of the Linux kernel where this vulnerability has been fixed. Instructions for downloading the patched version are available on the official Linux kernel website.
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CVSS 4.0 Severity and Vector Strings:
No CVSS 4.0 data is available for this CVE.
CVSS 3.x Severity and Vector Strings:
No data available for CVSS Version 2.0 on this CVE.
No SSVC data is available for this CVE.
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Weakness Enumeration
| CWE-ID | CWE Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CWE-191 | Integer Underflow (Wrap or Wraparound) | [email protected] |
Affected Products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
| linux linux kernel | >= 5.5.1, < 5.15.203 >= 5.16, < 6.1.169 >= 6.2, < 6.6.135 >= 6.7, < 6.12.82 >= 6.13, < 6.18.23 >= 6.19, < 6.19.13 5.5 - 7.0 rc1 7.0 rc2 7.0 rc3 7.0 rc4 7.0 rc5 7.0 rc6 7.0 rc7 |
CPE
Remediation
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Change History
5 change records found show changes
| Date | Action | Recorded By |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2026 | CVE Modified | kernel.org |
| Jun 1, 2026 | CVE Modified | kernel.org |
| Apr 27, 2026 | Initial Analysis | [email protected] |
| Apr 27, 2026 | CVE Modified | kernel.org |
| Apr 24, 2026 | New CVE Received | kernel.org |