CVE-2026-31890: Inspektor Gadget is a set of tools and framework for data collection and system inspection on Kubernetes clusters and Linux hosts using eBPF. Prior to...

Description

Inspektor Gadget is a set of tools and framework for data collection and system inspection on Kubernetes clusters and Linux hosts using eBPF. Prior to 0.50.1, in a situation where the ring-buffer of a gadget is – incidentally or maliciously – already full, the gadget will silently drop events. The include/gadget/buffer.h file contains definitions for the Buffer API that gadgets can use to, among the other things, transfer data from eBPF programs to userspace. For hosts running a modern enough Linux kernel (>= 5.8), this transfer mechanism is based on ring-buffers. The size of the ring-buffer for the gadgets is hard-coded to 256KB. When a gadget_reserve_buf fails because of insufficient space, the gadget silently cleans up without producing an alert. The lost count reported by the eBPF operator, when using ring-buffers – the modern choice – is hardcoded to zero. The vulnerability can be used by a malicious event source (e.g. a compromised container) to cause a Denial Of Service, forcing the system to drop events coming from other containers (or the same container). This vulnerability is fixed in 0.50.1.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS 4.0

4.8/10

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

EPSS Probability

0.14%

4.0th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linuxfoundation	Inspektor Gadget	< 0.50.1

References

https://github.com/inspektor-gadget/inspektor-gadget/security/advisories/GHSA-wv52-frfv-mfh4Exploit, Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/inspektor-gadget/inspektor-gadget/security/advisories/GHSA-wv52-frfv-mfh4Exploit, Vendor Advisory

Timeline

Published: Mar 12, 2026
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-31890?

Inspektor Gadget is a set of tools and framework for data collection and system inspection on Kubernetes clusters and Linux hosts using eBPF. Prior to 0.50.1, in a situation where the ring-buffer of a gadget is – incidentally or maliciously – already full, the gadget will silently drop events. The include/gadget/buffer.h file contains definitions for the Buffer API that gadgets can use to, among the other things, transfer data from eBPF programs to userspace. For hosts running a modern enough Linux kernel (>= 5.8), this transfer mechanism is based on ring-buffers. The size of the ring-buffer for the gadgets is hard-coded to 256KB. When a gadget_reserve_buf fails because of insufficient space, the gadget silently cleans up without producing an alert. The lost count reported by the eBPF operator, when using ring-buffers – the modern choice – is hardcoded to zero. The vulnerability can be used by a malicious event source (e.g. a compromised container) to cause a Denial Of Service, forcing the system to drop events coming from other containers (or the same container). This vulnerability is fixed in 0.50.1.

How severe is CVE-2026-31890?

CVE-2026-31890 has a CVSS score of 4.8/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.14% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2026-31890?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.