CVE-2026-98160: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4hh4-86px-498m
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CVSS 5.5
CWE-763
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-98160 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.5) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-763: Release of Invalid Pointer or Reference) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product attempts to return a memory resource to the system, but it calls the wrong release function or calls the appropriate release function incorrectly.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-98160 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-98160
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4hh4-86px-498m
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.5
CWE Classification CWE-763: Release of Invalid Pointer or Reference
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.5

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-98160

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-2026-98160, 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-763: Release of Invalid Pointer or Reference, where the product attempts to return a memory resource to the system, but it calls the wrong release function or calls the appropriate release function incorrectly. 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

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: staging: rtl8723bs: fix mismatched free of HalData in rtw_sdio_if1_init() padapter->HalData is allocated via vzalloc(), but incorrectly freed using kfree() in the rtw_sdio_if1_init() error path. Using kfree() to release this vmalloc-backed buffer can lead to memory corruption. Use rtw_hal_data_deinit() to pair the free correctly and free HalData with vfree(). The bug was first flagged by an experimental static analysis tool we are developing for kernel memory-management bugs. Manual inspection confirms that the issue is still present in current mainline. An x86_64 allyesconfig build showed no new warnings. As we do not have suitable RTL8723BS SDIO hardware to test with, no runtime testing was able to be performed.

References

NVD — CVE-2026-98160 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98160
git.kernel.org/stable/c/264676418b... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/264676418b726baca7be49171e306b6aa05cceb0
git.kernel.org/stable/c/423574feae... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/423574feaed192063ef0cd0813fb85425f39e539
git.kernel.org/stable/c/4520d673d4... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4520d673d49dabfd42c008a33889251025f7d6d5
git.kernel.org/stable/c/6c017ab2b0... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6c017ab2b0e1b60b5be94636c94720347213d78b
git.kernel.org/stable/c/737c928ff5... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/737c928ff5092d7e55128a232c231248fc993777
git.kernel.org/stable/c/911190f0b9... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/911190f0b9511c3c81f2f2484414c1ae26f636b3
git.kernel.org/stable/c/d6158333d6... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d6158333d630a1b21d8914feaf77a6f5deb185d9
git.kernel.org/stable/c/ff6d1ba247... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ff6d1ba247b5c62bdb678f1069abc86ad88a1402

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-98160?
CVE-2026-98160 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-763: Release of Invalid Pointer or Reference.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-98160?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-98160?
CVE-2026-98160 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-98160?
CVE-2026-98160 is classified under CWE-763: Release of Invalid Pointer or Reference (The product attempts to return a memory resource to the system, but it calls the wrong release function or calls the appropriate release function incorrectly.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-98160?
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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  "id" : "GHSA-4hh4-86px-498m",
  "modified" : "2026-10-02T21:31:57Z",
  "published" : "2026-09-25T15:31:48Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-98160" ],
  "details" : "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nstaging: rtl8723bs: fix mismatched free of HalData in rtw_sdio_if1_init()\n\npadapter->HalData is allocated via vzalloc(), but incorrectly freed\nusing kfree() in the rtw_sdio_if1_init() error path. Using kfree() to\nrelease this vmalloc-backed buffer can lead to memory corruption.\n\nUse rtw_hal_data_deinit() to pair the free correctly and free\nHalData with vfree().\n\nThe bug was first flagged by an experimental static analysis tool we\nare developing for kernel memory-management bugs. Manual inspection\nconfirms that the issue is still present in current mainline.\n\nAn x86_64 allyesconfig build showed no new warnings. As we do not have\nsuitable RTL8723BS SDIO hardware to test with, no runtime testing was\nable to be performed.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
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    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ff6d1ba247b5c62bdb678f1069abc86ad88a1402"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-763" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-09-25T14:17:27Z"
  }
}