Copy Fail vulnerability allows attackers to gain root access on virtually any modern Linux distribution


A working exploit written in Python (later released in other programming languages as well) consists of about ten lines of code and uses standard system calls that are indistinguishable from normal system activity.

Kaspersky explain what the CVE-2026-31431 vulnerability, unofficially named as Copy Fail and published on April 29, is. Kaspersky also have some advice on its mitigation and detection. Presumably, the root of the problem is commit 72548b093ee3, added to the Linux kernel in 2017. It introduced support for in-place operations for AEAD encryption in the algif_aead module, which led to a buffer handling error. Thus, the vulnerability affects kernels released between 2017 and 2026.

Read more…
Source: Kaspersky


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • UK: Two teenagers charged over Transport for London cyber attack

    September 18, 2025

    Two teenagers have been charged in connection with a massive cyber attack which caused Transport for London (TfL) months of disruption. The National Crime Agency (NCA) says it believes the hack – which began on 31 August last year – was carried out by members of the cyber-criminal group, Scattered Spider. Thalha Jubair, 19, from east ...

  • Google Releases Security Update for Chrome

    September 18, 2025

    Google has released version 140.0.7339.185/.186 for Chrome for Windows and Mac and 140.0.7339.185 for Chrome for Linux, which will roll out over the coming days/weeks. The updates address four high severity vulnerabilities, including CVE-2025-10585, which has an exploit in the wild. CVE-2025-10585 – Type Confusion in V8 – High severity CVE-2025-10500 – Use after free in Dawn ...

  • “Shai-Hulud” Worm Compromises npm Ecosystem in Supply Chain Attack

    September 17, 2025

    Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 is investigating an active and widespread software supply chain attack targeting the Node Package Manager (npm) ecosystem. A novel, self-replicating worm, which is currently being tracked as “Shai-Hulud,” is responsible for the compromise of over 180 software packages. This attack represents a significant evolution in supply chain threats, leveraging automated propagation ...

  • Samsung patches zero-day security flaw used to hack into its customers’ phones

    September 16, 2025

    Samsung says it has fixed a zero-day security vulnerability that is being used to hack into its customers’ phones. The phone maker said the security flaw, discovered in a software library for displaying images on Samsung devices, allows hackers to remotely plant malicious code on Samsung devices running Android 13 through the most recent version, Android ...

  • RevengeHotels: a new wave of attacks leveraging LLMs and VenomRAT

    September 16, 2025

    RevengeHotels, also known as TA558, is a threat group that has been active since 2015, stealing credit card data from hotel guests and travelers. RevengeHotels’ modus operandi involves sending emails with phishing links which redirect victims to websites mimicking document storage. These sites, in turn, download script files to ultimately infect the targeted machines. The final ...

  • Shiny tools, shallow checks: how the AI hype opens the door to malicious MCP servers

    September 15, 2025

    In this article, Kaspersky researchers explore how the Model Context Protocol (MCP) — the new “plug-in bus” for AI assistants — can be weaponized as a supply chain foothold. The researchers start with a primer on MCP, map out protocol-level and supply chain attack paths, then walk through a hands-on proof of concept: a seemingly legitimate ...