CVE-2026-23438: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4m78-cvj8-m5m2
CVSS 5.5
CWE-476
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-23438 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.5) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is null.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-23438 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-23438
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4m78-cvj8-m5m2
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.5
CWE Classification CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference
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-2026-23438

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-2026-23438, 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-476: NULL Pointer Dereference, where the product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is null. 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: net: mvpp2: guard flow control update with global_tx_fc in buffer switching mvpp2_bm_switch_buffers() unconditionally calls mvpp2_bm_pool_update_priv_fc() when switching between per-cpu and shared buffer pool modes. This function programs CM3 flow control registers via mvpp2_cm3_read()/mvpp2_cm3_write(), which dereference priv->cm3_base without any NULL check. When the CM3 SRAM resource is not present in the device tree (the third reg entry added by commit 60523583b07c ("dts: marvell: add CM3 SRAM memory to cp11x ethernet device tree")), priv->cm3_base remains NULL and priv->global_tx_fc is false. Any operation that triggers mvpp2_bm_switch_buffers(), for example an MTU change that crosses the jumbo frame threshold, will crash: Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000000 Mem abort info: ESR = 0x0000000096000006 EC = 0x25: DABT (current EL), IL = 32 bits pc : readl+0x0/0x18 lr : mvpp2_cm3_read.isra.0+0x14/0x20 Call trace: readl+0x0/0x18 mvpp2_bm_pool_update_fc+0x40/0x12c mvpp2_bm_pool_update_priv_fc+0x94/0xd8 mvpp2_bm_switch_buffers.isra.0+0x80/0x1c0 mvpp2_change_mtu+0x140/0x380 __dev_set_mtu+0x1c/0x38 dev_set_mtu_ext+0x78/0x118 dev_set_mtu+0x48/0xa8 dev_ifsioc+0x21c/0x43c dev_ioctl+0x2d8/0x42c sock_ioctl+0x314/0x378 Every other flow control call site in the driver already guards hardware access with either priv->global_tx_fc or port->tx_fc. mvpp2_bm_switch_buffers() is the only place that omits this check. Add the missing priv->global_tx_fc guard to both the disable and re-enable calls in mvpp2_bm_switch_buffers(), consistent with the rest of the driver.

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-23438?
CVE-2026-23438 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-23438?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-23438?
CVE-2026-23438 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-2026-23438?
CVE-2026-23438 is classified under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference (The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-23438?
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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-4m78-cvj8-m5m2",
  "modified" : "2026-10-15T03:35:28Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-03T18:31:21Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-23438" ],
  "details" : "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nnet: mvpp2: guard flow control update with global_tx_fc in buffer switching\n\nmvpp2_bm_switch_buffers() unconditionally calls\nmvpp2_bm_pool_update_priv_fc() when switching between per-cpu and\nshared buffer pool modes. This function programs CM3 flow control\nregisters via mvpp2_cm3_read()/mvpp2_cm3_write(), which dereference\npriv->cm3_base without any NULL check.\n\nWhen the CM3 SRAM resource is not present in the device tree (the\nthird reg entry added by commit 60523583b07c (\"dts: marvell: add CM3\nSRAM memory to cp11x ethernet device tree\")), priv->cm3_base remains\nNULL and priv->global_tx_fc is false. Any operation that triggers\nmvpp2_bm_switch_buffers(), for example an MTU change that crosses\nthe jumbo frame threshold, will crash:\n\n  Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at\n  virtual address 0000000000000000\n  Mem abort info:\n    ESR = 0x0000000096000006\n    EC = 0x25: DABT (current EL), IL = 32 bits\n  pc : readl+0x0/0x18\n  lr : mvpp2_cm3_read.isra.0+0x14/0x20\n  Call trace:\n   readl+0x0/0x18\n   mvpp2_bm_pool_update_fc+0x40/0x12c\n   mvpp2_bm_pool_update_priv_fc+0x94/0xd8\n   mvpp2_bm_switch_buffers.isra.0+0x80/0x1c0\n   mvpp2_change_mtu+0x140/0x380\n   __dev_set_mtu+0x1c/0x38\n   dev_set_mtu_ext+0x78/0x118\n   dev_set_mtu+0x48/0xa8\n   dev_ifsioc+0x21c/0x43c\n   dev_ioctl+0x2d8/0x42c\n   sock_ioctl+0x314/0x378\n\nEvery other flow control call site in the driver already guards\nhardware access with either priv->global_tx_fc or port->tx_fc.\nmvpp2_bm_switch_buffers() is the only place that omits this check.\n\nAdd the missing priv->global_tx_fc guard to both the disable and\nre-enable calls in mvpp2_bm_switch_buffers(), consistent with the\nrest of the driver.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-23438"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-019113.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
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    "url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-457936.html"
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  "database_specific" : {
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    "severity" : "MODERATE",
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    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-03T16:16:25Z"
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