Severe Linux Copy Fail security flaw uncovered using AI scanning help

Source: The Verge

Overview

Nearly every Linux distribution released since 2017 is vulnerable to a security bug known as Copy Fail. The flaw allows any user to elevate their privileges to that of an administrator.

The vulnerability was publicly disclosed as CVE‑2026‑31431 on Wednesday.

Technical Details

• The exploit is delivered via a Python script that works across all affected Linux distributions.
• According to the security firm Theori, the script requires no per‑distribution offsets, no version checks, and no recompilation.
• Ars Technica highlights a blog post by DevOps engineer Jorijn Schrijvershof, noting that Copy Fail is “unusually nasty” because it can go unnoticed by typical monitoring tools.

References

• CVE‑2026‑31431 (security advisory)
• Theori’s discovery announcement
• Ars Technica coverage (blog post by Jorijn Schrijvershof)
• Full story at The Verge.