CVE-2026-63979: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-52c3-j5qj-8hpp
CVSS 9.8
CWE-416
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-63979 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-416: Use After Free) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. at some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-63979 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-63979
GHSA Identifier GHSA-52c3-j5qj-8hpp
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-416: Use After Free
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
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-2026-63979

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-2026-63979, 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-416: Use After Free, where the product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. at some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer. 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/handshake: hand off the pinned file reference to accept_doit handshake_req_next() removes the request from the per-net pending list and drops hn_lock before handshake_nl_accept_doit() reads req->hr_sk->sk_socket and dereferences sock->file (once in FD_PREPARE() and again in get_file()). In that window a consumer running tls_handshake_cancel() followed by sockfd_put() (svc_sock_free) or __fput_sync() (xs_reset_transport) releases sock->file. sock_release() then runs sock_orphan(), zeroing sk_socket, and frees the struct socket. The accept-side code either reads NULL through sk_socket or chases freed memory. The submit-side sock_hold() does not prevent this. sk_refcnt protects struct sock, but struct socket and sock->file are independently refcounted via the file descriptor the consumer owns. Pinning sk leaves sock and sock->file unprotected. Retarget the accept-side dereferences at req->hr_file, which was pinned at submit time, instead of req->hr_sk->sk_socket->file. Pinning on its own is not sufficient: a consumer that cancels between handshake_req_next() returning and accept_doit reaching FD_PREPARE() takes the !remove_pending() branch in handshake_req_cancel() and drops hr_file before the accept side takes its own reference. Hand off an additional file reference inside handshake_req_next(), under hn_lock, so the accept side operates on a reference that no concurrent handshake_req_cancel() can revoke. FD_PREPARE() consumes that handed-off reference, either by transferring it to the new fd in fd_publish() or by dropping it in the cleanup destructor on error; the explicit get_file() that previously balanced FD_PREPARE() is therefore redundant and goes away. Update handshake_req_cancel_test2 and _test3 to simulate the FD_PREPARE() consumption with an fput() so the kunit file-count assertions stay balanced.

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-63979?
CVE-2026-63979 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-416: Use After Free.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-63979?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-63979?
CVE-2026-63979 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-63979?
CVE-2026-63979 is classified under CWE-416: Use After Free (The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-63979?
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-52c3-j5qj-8hpp",
  "modified" : "2026-08-09T21:30:25Z",
  "published" : "2026-07-19T18:31:48Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-63979" ],
  "details" : "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nnet/handshake: hand off the pinned file reference to accept_doit\n\nhandshake_req_next() removes the request from the per-net\npending list and drops hn_lock before handshake_nl_accept_doit()\nreads req->hr_sk->sk_socket and dereferences sock->file (once in\nFD_PREPARE() and again in get_file()).  In that window a\nconsumer running tls_handshake_cancel() followed by sockfd_put()\n(svc_sock_free) or __fput_sync() (xs_reset_transport) releases\nsock->file.  sock_release() then runs sock_orphan(), zeroing\nsk_socket, and frees the struct socket.  The accept-side code\neither reads NULL through sk_socket or chases freed memory.\n\nThe submit-side sock_hold() does not prevent this.  sk_refcnt\nprotects struct sock, but struct socket and sock->file are\nindependently refcounted via the file descriptor the consumer\nowns.  Pinning sk leaves sock and sock->file unprotected.\n\nRetarget the accept-side dereferences at req->hr_file, which was\npinned at submit time, instead of req->hr_sk->sk_socket->file.\nPinning on its own is not sufficient: a consumer that cancels\nbetween handshake_req_next() returning and accept_doit reaching\nFD_PREPARE() takes the !remove_pending() branch in\nhandshake_req_cancel() and drops hr_file before the accept side\ntakes its own reference.  Hand off an additional file reference\ninside handshake_req_next(), under hn_lock, so the accept side\noperates on a reference that no concurrent handshake_req_cancel()\ncan revoke.  FD_PREPARE() consumes that handed-off reference,\neither by transferring it to the new fd in fd_publish() or by\ndropping it in the cleanup destructor on error; the explicit\nget_file() that previously balanced FD_PREPARE() is therefore\nredundant and goes away.\n\nUpdate handshake_req_cancel_test2 and _test3 to simulate the\nFD_PREPARE() consumption with an fput() so the kunit file-count\nassertions stay balanced.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-63979"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/68eba6519cbd6359fb554a9720f3a3b6b2eba23f"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c06876d4fac38f35820946ee3b1be7d7da799cd4"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f4251190e58b209999c1ba9e6d2976136a1be055"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-416" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-07-19T16:17:17Z"
  }
}