CVE-2026-78689: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3gxx-pmrm-ghvv
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CVSS 8.1
CWE-122
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-78689 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 8.1) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-122: Heap-based Buffer Overflow) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when a heap overflow condition is a buffer overflow, where the buffer that can be overwritten is allocated in the heap portion of memory, generally meaning that the buffer was allocated using a routine such as malloc().. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-78689 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-78689
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3gxx-pmrm-ghvv
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-122: Heap-based Buffer Overflow
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-78689

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-78689, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-122: Heap-based Buffer Overflow, where a heap overflow condition is a buffer overflow, where the buffer that can be overwritten is allocated in the heap portion of memory, generally meaning that the buffer was allocated using a routine such as malloc(). In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Description NGINX JavaScript (njs) has a vulnerability in the XML module's namespace prefix list parser, reachable through the xml.exclusiveC14n() method. An unauthenticated remote attacker can trigger it when an affected NGINX configuration passes an externally controlled XML namespace prefix list to that method. Both the njs and the QuickJS (qjs) engines are affected. A crafted prefix list causes an out-of-bounds write past the end of a heap allocation. With the njs engine, which is the engine used when the js_engine directive is absent, this corrupts adjacent objects and crashes the NGINX worker. With the QuickJS engine, the same call additionally leaks the prefix list on every invocation, causing worker memory to grow across requests. The official nginxinc/nginx-saml reference implementation is affected during SAML signature verification. It reads InclusiveNamespaces/@PrefixList from an untrusted SAML message and passes it to xml.exclusiveC14n() before the signature has been verified, so a valid SAML signature is not required. A crafted SAML Response, Assertion, LogoutRequest, or LogoutResponse is sufficient. Code execution has not been demonstrated and cannot be ruled out for all platforms, as the effect of the out-of-bounds write depends on conditions beyond the attacker's control.   Impact This vulnerability allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service on the NGINX system, either through repeatable worker restarts or through worker memory growth or possibly trigger code execution. There is no control plane exposure; this is a data plane issue only. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.

References

NVD — CVE-2026-78689 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-78689
my.f5.com/manage/s/article/k0... WEB
https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K000162602

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-78689?
CVE-2026-78689 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-122: Heap-based Buffer Overflow.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-78689?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-78689?
CVE-2026-78689 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-78689?
CVE-2026-78689 is classified under CWE-122: Heap-based Buffer Overflow (A heap overflow condition is a buffer overflow, where the buffer that can be overwritten is allocated in the heap portion of memory, generally meaning that the buffer was allocated using a routine such as malloc().).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-78689?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
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  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-3gxx-pmrm-ghvv",
  "modified" : "2026-09-02T18:32:12Z",
  "published" : "2026-09-02T18:32:12Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-78689" ],
  "details" : "Description\n\n\nNGINX JavaScript (njs) has a vulnerability in the XML module's namespace prefix list parser, reachable through the xml.exclusiveC14n() method. An unauthenticated remote attacker can trigger it when an affected NGINX configuration passes an externally controlled XML namespace prefix list to that method. Both the njs and the QuickJS (qjs) engines are affected. A crafted prefix list causes an out-of-bounds write past the end of a heap allocation. With the njs engine, which is the engine used when the js_engine directive is absent, this corrupts adjacent objects and crashes the NGINX worker. With the QuickJS engine, the same call additionally leaks the prefix list on every invocation, causing worker memory to grow across requests. The official nginxinc/nginx-saml reference implementation is affected during SAML signature verification. It reads InclusiveNamespaces/@PrefixList from an untrusted SAML message and passes it to xml.exclusiveC14n() before the signature has been verified, so a valid SAML signature is not required. A crafted SAML Response, Assertion, LogoutRequest, or LogoutResponse is sufficient. Code execution has not been demonstrated and cannot be ruled out for all platforms, as the effect of the out-of-bounds write depends on conditions beyond the attacker's control.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Impact\n\n\nThis vulnerability allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service on the NGINX system, either through repeatable worker restarts or through worker memory growth or possibly trigger code execution. There is no control plane exposure; this is a data plane issue only.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNote: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.",
  "severity" : [ {
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  } ],
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    "url" : "https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K000162602"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
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    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
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    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-09-02T16:17:25Z"
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}