CVE-2026-31763: 
Linux Kernel vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2026-31763 is a denial-of-service vulnerability in the Linux kernel's IIO gyroscope driver for the MPU3050 sensor, caused by an incorrect variable passed to free_irq() during driver teardown. The IRQ handler is registered as mpu3050->trig, but the teardown code incorrectly calls free_irq() with mpu3050, leaving the IRQ handler improperly unregistered. Affected kernel versions span from 4.10 up to (but not including) the patched stable releases. It was published on May 1, 2026, and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (Medium) (GitHub Advisory, Red Hat Bugzilla).

The root cause is classified as CWE-763 (Release of Invalid Pointer or Reference): the mpu3050_trigger_set_state() teardown path calls free_irq() with the wrong handler argument (mpu3050 instead of mpu3050->trig), meaning the IRQ is never properly freed when the driver is unloaded or removed. This is a local, low-complexity flaw requiring only low privileges — no user interaction is needed. The bug is confined to the drivers/iio/gyro/mpu3050-core.c driver and is triggered during driver module unload or device removal (GitHub Advisory).

Exploitation results in a denial of service: when the mpu3050 gyro driver is unloaded or the device is removed, the IRQ handler is not properly cleaned up, which can cause system instability or a kernel crash. There is no confidentiality or integrity impact — only availability is affected. The scope is limited to the local system hosting the affected hardware, with no known potential for lateral movement or data exposure (GitHub Advisory).

There is no public proof-of-concept exploit and no evidence of in-the-wild exploitation as of the time of disclosure (GitHub Advisory). The EPSS score is approximately 0.024% (very low probability of exploitation in the near term). The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Exploitation requires local access with low privileges and physical or logical access to a system with the MPU3050 gyroscope hardware.

Update the Linux kernel to one of the following patched stable versions: 5.10.253, 5.15.203, 6.1.168, 6.6.134, 6.12.81, 6.18.22, or 6.19.12 (and later) (GitHub Advisory). As a temporary workaround, avoid unloading or reloading the mpu3050 gyro kernel module until the system can be updated. Patches are available in the Linux kernel stable branches via the upstream kernel git repository.