TECH NEWS

'CopyFail' attackers start cashing in on Linux flaw

https://image.theregister.com/5226908.jpg?imageId=5226908&panox=0&panoy=0&panow=0&panoh=0&width=1200&height=683

Researchers dropped a reliable root exploit and it didn’t sit idle for long

CISA is warning that a newly-disclosed Linux kernel bug dubbed "CopyFail" is already being exploited, just days after researchers dropped a working root-level exploit.

Tracked as CVE-2026-31431, the bug sits in the Linux kernel and gives low-level users a way to take full control of a system by modifying data they should only be able to read, effectively turning limited access into full root privileges on unpatched machines.

The issue was disclosed by cybersecurity consultancy Theori, which said the flaw was discovered by its AI-powered penetration testing platform, Xint, and reported to the Linux kernel security team on March 23. Major Linux distributions pushed out patches ahead of public disclosure, which Theori published alongside a proof-of-concept exploit.

The Python-based code works against Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Amazon Linux 2023, RHEL 10.1, and SUSE 16, but the researchers...

Copyright of this story solely belongs to theregister.com. To see the full text click HERE

Read more

https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/iMCFVYC_pczw/v0/1200x800.jpg

How AI is shaping the 2026 US midterms, as public anger grows against data center expansion and the AI industry emerges as one of the biggest financial backers

Sponsor Posts Fast, affordable law for startups — Soxton automates startup legal so founders can move faster and sleep better. We handle incorporation, advisor, employment and commercial contracts. Join the waitlist for early access! Stop vibe coding analytics — Equals AI turns questions about your business into auditable spreadsheet models and dashboards.