Security Bulletin
Summary
Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud is affected by a vulnerability in the Linux kernel that could allow a local attacker to escalate their privileges (CVE-2026-31431).
Vulnerability Details
CVEID: CVE-2026-31431
Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: "crypto: algif_aead - Revert to operating out-of-place". This mostly reverts commit 72548b093ee3 except for the copying of the associated data. There is no benefit in operating in-place in algif_aead since the source and destination come from different mappings. Get rid of all the complexity added for in-place operation and just copy the AD directly.
CVSS Base Score: 7.8
CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Affected Products and Versions
Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud releases 4.16, 4.17, 4.18, 4.19, and 4.20 are affected - up to, and including, the following worker versions:
- Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud 4.16-4.16.59_1610
- Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud 4.17-4.17.52_1580
- Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud 4.18- 4.18.37_1585
- Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud 4.19-4.19.28_1574
- Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud 4.20-4.20.18_1544
Remediation/Fixes
Please refer to the "Workarounds and Mitigations" section for details on patches that have mitigated this vulnerability, ensuring it is not exploitable.
A kernel fix for CVE-2026-31431 will be delivered in forthcoming worker node patches.
Workarounds and Mitigations
Updates for Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud cluster worker nodes are available at version 4.16, 4.17, 4.18, 4.19 and 4.20.
Customers must update worker nodes created before the mitigation was available to address the vulnerability. See Updating clusters, worker nodes and cluster components for details on updating worker nodes.
To verify your cluster worker nodes have been updated, use the following IBM Cloud CLI command to confirm the currently running versions:
ibmcloud oc worker ls --cluster <cluster name or ID>
If the versions are at one of the following patch levels, the cluster worker nodes have mitigated the vulnerability. With these patch levels the vulnerability is not exploitable. However, scanners may still report CVE-2026-31431 until a kernel fix is delivered:
- 4.16.60_1614_openshift
- 4.17.52_1583_openshift
- 4.18.38_1587_openshift
- 4.19.29_1577_openshift
- 4.20.19_1546_openshift
Customers running Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud clusters at version 4.15 must upgrade to version 4.16. Please review the 4.16 documentation before starting an upgrade since additional actions may be required.
Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud versions 4.14 and earlier are no longer supported. See the Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud version information and update actions documentation for more information about OpenShift versions and version support policies.
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References
*The CVSS Environment Score is customer environment specific and will ultimately impact the Overall CVSS Score. Customers can evaluate the impact of this vulnerability in their environments by accessing the links in the Reference section of this Security Bulletin.
Disclaimer
According to the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST), the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) is an "industry open standard designed to convey vulnerability severity and help to determine urgency and priority of response." IBM PROVIDES THE CVSS SCORES ""AS IS"" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. CUSTOMERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF ANY ACTUAL OR POTENTIAL SECURITY VULNERABILITY. In addition to other efforts to address potential vulnerabilities, IBM periodically updates the record of components contained in our product offerings. As part of that effort, if IBM identifies previously unidentified packages in a product/service inventory, we address relevant vulnerabilities regardless of CVE date. Inclusion of an older CVEID does not demonstrate that the referenced product has been used by IBM since that date, nor that IBM was aware of a vulnerability as of that date. We are making clients aware of relevant vulnerabilities as we become aware of them. "Affected Products and Versions" referenced in IBM Security Bulletins are intended to be only products and versions that are supported by IBM and have not passed their end-of-support or warranty date. Thus, failure to reference unsupported or extended-support products and versions in this Security Bulletin does not constitute a determination by IBM that they are unaffected by the vulnerability. Reference to one or more unsupported versions in this Security Bulletin shall not create an obligation for IBM to provide fixes for any unsupported or extended-support products or versions.
Document Location
Worldwide
Product Synonym
ROKS
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Document Information
Modified date:
14 May 2026
UID
ibm17271433