CVE-2026-23278: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5vxp-pqjj-287g
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CVSS 7.8
CWE-416
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-23278 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.8) 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 any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer..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-2026-23278 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-23278
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5vxp-pqjj-287g
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.8
CWE Classification CWE-416: Use After Free
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.8

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:H/I:H/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 High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-23278

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-2026-23278, 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: netfilter: nf_tables: always walk all pending catchall elements During transaction processing we might have more than one catchall element: 1 live catchall element and 1 pending element that is coming as part of the new batch. If the map holding the catchall elements is also going away, its required to toggle all catchall elements and not just the first viable candidate. Otherwise, we get: WARNING: ./include/net/netfilter/nf_tables.h:1281 at nft_data_release+0xb7/0xe0 [nf_tables], CPU#2: nft/1404 RIP: 0010:nft_data_release+0xb7/0xe0 [nf_tables] [..] __nft_set_elem_destroy+0x106/0x380 [nf_tables] nf_tables_abort_release+0x348/0x8d0 [nf_tables] nf_tables_abort+0xcf2/0x3ac0 [nf_tables] nfnetlink_rcv_batch+0x9c9/0x20e0 [..]

References

NVD — CVE-2026-23278 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-23278
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ss... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-784472.html
git.kernel.org/stable/c/4830fb44d1... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4830fb44d12f586f3f544609e086933649a9175a
git.kernel.org/stable/c/77c26b5056... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/77c26b5056d693ffe5e9f040e946251cdb55ae55
git.kernel.org/stable/c/7cb9a23d7a... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7cb9a23d7ae40a702577d3d8bacb7026f04ac2a9
git.kernel.org/stable/c/c4d4e86fda... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c4d4e86fda707d89eaba80e343321737375f8582
git.kernel.org/stable/c/de47a88c6b... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/de47a88c6b807910f05703fb6605f7efdaa11417
git.kernel.org/stable/c/eb0948fa13... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/eb0948fa13298212c5f8b30ee48efdae4389ab09

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-23278?
CVE-2026-23278 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-2026-23278?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-23278?
CVE-2026-23278 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-23278?
CVE-2026-23278 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-2026-23278?
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-5vxp-pqjj-287g",
  "modified" : "2026-10-15T03:35:20Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-20T09:32:10Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-23278" ],
  "details" : "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nnetfilter: nf_tables: always walk all pending catchall elements\n\nDuring transaction processing we might have more than one catchall element:\n1 live catchall element and 1 pending element that is coming as part of the\nnew batch.\n\nIf the map holding the catchall elements is also going away, its\nrequired to toggle all catchall elements and not just the first viable\ncandidate.\n\nOtherwise, we get:\n WARNING: ./include/net/netfilter/nf_tables.h:1281 at nft_data_release+0xb7/0xe0 [nf_tables], CPU#2: nft/1404\n RIP: 0010:nft_data_release+0xb7/0xe0 [nf_tables]\n [..]\n __nft_set_elem_destroy+0x106/0x380 [nf_tables]\n nf_tables_abort_release+0x348/0x8d0 [nf_tables]\n nf_tables_abort+0xcf2/0x3ac0 [nf_tables]\n nfnetlink_rcv_batch+0x9c9/0x20e0 [..]",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
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  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-784472.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4830fb44d12f586f3f544609e086933649a9175a"
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    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-03-20T09:16:13Z"
  }
}