CVE-2026-97438: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-88pg-r8xc-mrw7
CVSS 7.1
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-97438 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.1) security vulnerability vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-97438 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-97438
GHSA Identifier GHSA-88pg-r8xc-mrw7
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.1
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.1

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-97438

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-2026-97438, 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 General Security Weakness. 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: fs/ntfs3: validate index entry key bounds [BUG] A malformed NTFS directory index entry can advertise a key_size larger than the bytes actually present in its NTFS_DE payload. Directory lookup then passes that malformed key to cmp_fnames(), which can read past the end of the kmalloc'ed index buffer. BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in fname_full_size fs/ntfs3/ntfs.h:590 [inline] BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in cmp_fnames+0x1ea/0x230 fs/ntfs3/index.c:46 Read of size 1 at addr ffff88801c313018 by task syz.6.3365/9279 Call Trace: __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:94 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0xbe/0x130 lib/dump_stack.c:120 print_address_description mm/kasan/report.c:378 [inline] print_report+0xd1/0x650 mm/kasan/report.c:482 kasan_report+0xfb/0x140 mm/kasan/report.c:595 __asan_report_load1_noabort+0x14/0x30 mm/kasan/report_generic.c:378 fname_full_size fs/ntfs3/ntfs.h:590 [inline] cmp_fnames+0x1ea/0x230 fs/ntfs3/index.c:46 hdr_find_e.isra.0+0x3ed/0x670 fs/ntfs3/index.c:762 indx_find+0x4b5/0x900 fs/ntfs3/index.c:1186 dir_search_u+0x2c0/0x460 fs/ntfs3/dir.c:254 ntfs_lookup+0x1cc/0x2a0 fs/ntfs3/namei.c:85 __lookup_slow+0x241/0x450 fs/namei.c:1816 lookup_slow fs/namei.c:1833 [inline] walk_component+0x31c/0x570 fs/namei.c:2151 link_path_walk+0x592/0xd60 fs/namei.c:2519 path_lookupat+0x138/0x660 fs/namei.c:2675 filename_lookup+0x1f3/0x560 fs/namei.c:2705 filename_setxattr+0xad/0x1c0 fs/xattr.c:660 path_setxattrat+0x1d8/0x280 fs/xattr.c:713 __do_sys_lsetxattr fs/xattr.c:754 [inline] __se_sys_lsetxattr fs/xattr.c:750 [inline] __x64_sys_lsetxattr+0xd0/0x150 fs/xattr.c:750 ... Allocated by task 9279: kasan_save_stack+0x39/0x70 mm/kasan/common.c:56 kasan_save_track+0x14/0x40 mm/kasan/common.c:77 kasan_save_alloc_info+0x37/0x60 mm/kasan/generic.c:573 poison_kmalloc_redzone mm/kasan/common.c:400 [inline] __kasan_kmalloc+0xc3/0xd0 mm/kasan/common.c:417 kasan_kmalloc include/linux/kasan.h:262 [inline] __do_kmalloc_node mm/slub.c:5650 [inline] __kmalloc_noprof+0x2bd/0x900 mm/slub.c:5662 kmalloc_noprof include/linux/slab.h:961 [inline] indx_read+0x41d/0xad0 fs/ntfs3/index.c:1059 indx_find+0x447/0x900 fs/ntfs3/index.c:1179 dir_search_u+0x2c0/0x460 fs/ntfs3/dir.c:254 ntfs_lookup+0x1cc/0x2a0 fs/ntfs3/namei.c:85 __lookup_slow+0x241/0x450 fs/namei.c:1816 lookup_slow fs/namei.c:1833 [inline] walk_component+0x31c/0x570 fs/namei.c:2151 link_path_walk+0x592/0xd60 fs/namei.c:2519 path_lookupat+0x138/0x660 fs/namei.c:2675 filename_lookup+0x1f3/0x560 fs/namei.c:2705 filename_setxattr+0xad/0x1c0 fs/xattr.c:660 path_setxattrat+0x1d8/0x280 fs/xattr.c:713 __do_sys_lsetxattr fs/xattr.c:754 [inline] __se_sys_lsetxattr fs/xattr.c:750 [inline] __x64_sys_lsetxattr+0xd0/0x150 fs/xattr.c:750 ... [CAUSE] The index-header validators only validated INDEX_HDR-level geometry. They did not walk each NTFS_DE to verify entry alignment, subnode layout, or that key_size fit inside the entry payload. They also allowed a last sentinel entry to carry a non-zero key_size. [FIX] Walk every NTFS_DE in ntfs3's index-header validators and reject entries with invalid layout, mismatched subnode state, oversized key_size, or non-zero sentinel keys before lookup or log replay can consume them.

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-97438?
CVE-2026-97438 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under General Security Weakness.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-97438?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-97438?
CVE-2026-97438 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-97438?
CVE-2026-97438 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-97438?
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-88pg-r8xc-mrw7",
  "modified" : "2026-10-03T12:31:12Z",
  "published" : "2026-09-24T18:31:32Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-97438" ],
  "details" : "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nfs/ntfs3: validate index entry key bounds\n\n[BUG]\nA malformed NTFS directory index entry can advertise a key_size larger\nthan the bytes actually present in its NTFS_DE payload. Directory lookup\nthen passes that malformed key to cmp_fnames(), which can read past the\nend of the kmalloc'ed index buffer.\n\nBUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in fname_full_size fs/ntfs3/ntfs.h:590 [inline]\nBUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in cmp_fnames+0x1ea/0x230 fs/ntfs3/index.c:46\nRead of size 1 at addr ffff88801c313018 by task syz.6.3365/9279\n\nCall Trace:\n __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:94 [inline]\n dump_stack_lvl+0xbe/0x130 lib/dump_stack.c:120\n print_address_description mm/kasan/report.c:378 [inline]\n print_report+0xd1/0x650 mm/kasan/report.c:482\n kasan_report+0xfb/0x140 mm/kasan/report.c:595\n __asan_report_load1_noabort+0x14/0x30 mm/kasan/report_generic.c:378\n fname_full_size fs/ntfs3/ntfs.h:590 [inline]\n cmp_fnames+0x1ea/0x230 fs/ntfs3/index.c:46\n hdr_find_e.isra.0+0x3ed/0x670 fs/ntfs3/index.c:762\n indx_find+0x4b5/0x900 fs/ntfs3/index.c:1186\n dir_search_u+0x2c0/0x460 fs/ntfs3/dir.c:254\n ntfs_lookup+0x1cc/0x2a0 fs/ntfs3/namei.c:85\n __lookup_slow+0x241/0x450 fs/namei.c:1816\n lookup_slow fs/namei.c:1833 [inline]\n walk_component+0x31c/0x570 fs/namei.c:2151\n link_path_walk+0x592/0xd60 fs/namei.c:2519\n path_lookupat+0x138/0x660 fs/namei.c:2675\n filename_lookup+0x1f3/0x560 fs/namei.c:2705\n filename_setxattr+0xad/0x1c0 fs/xattr.c:660\n path_setxattrat+0x1d8/0x280 fs/xattr.c:713\n __do_sys_lsetxattr fs/xattr.c:754 [inline]\n __se_sys_lsetxattr fs/xattr.c:750 [inline]\n __x64_sys_lsetxattr+0xd0/0x150 fs/xattr.c:750\n ...\n\nAllocated by task 9279:\n kasan_save_stack+0x39/0x70 mm/kasan/common.c:56\n kasan_save_track+0x14/0x40 mm/kasan/common.c:77\n kasan_save_alloc_info+0x37/0x60 mm/kasan/generic.c:573\n poison_kmalloc_redzone mm/kasan/common.c:400 [inline]\n __kasan_kmalloc+0xc3/0xd0 mm/kasan/common.c:417\n kasan_kmalloc include/linux/kasan.h:262 [inline]\n __do_kmalloc_node mm/slub.c:5650 [inline]\n __kmalloc_noprof+0x2bd/0x900 mm/slub.c:5662\n kmalloc_noprof include/linux/slab.h:961 [inline]\n indx_read+0x41d/0xad0 fs/ntfs3/index.c:1059\n indx_find+0x447/0x900 fs/ntfs3/index.c:1179\n dir_search_u+0x2c0/0x460 fs/ntfs3/dir.c:254\n ntfs_lookup+0x1cc/0x2a0 fs/ntfs3/namei.c:85\n __lookup_slow+0x241/0x450 fs/namei.c:1816\n lookup_slow fs/namei.c:1833 [inline]\n walk_component+0x31c/0x570 fs/namei.c:2151\n link_path_walk+0x592/0xd60 fs/namei.c:2519\n path_lookupat+0x138/0x660 fs/namei.c:2675\n filename_lookup+0x1f3/0x560 fs/namei.c:2705\n filename_setxattr+0xad/0x1c0 fs/xattr.c:660\n path_setxattrat+0x1d8/0x280 fs/xattr.c:713\n __do_sys_lsetxattr fs/xattr.c:754 [inline]\n __se_sys_lsetxattr fs/xattr.c:750 [inline]\n __x64_sys_lsetxattr+0xd0/0x150 fs/xattr.c:750\n ...\n\n[CAUSE]\nThe index-header validators only validated INDEX_HDR-level geometry.\nThey did not walk each NTFS_DE to verify entry alignment, subnode\nlayout, or that key_size fit inside the entry payload. They also\nallowed a last sentinel entry to carry a non-zero key_size.\n\n[FIX]\nWalk every NTFS_DE in ntfs3's index-header validators and reject\nentries with invalid layout, mismatched subnode state, oversized\nkey_size, or non-zero sentinel keys before lookup or log replay can\nconsume them.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97438"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0257e3ea00e19129f3ad5c039d8b8fdff0796835"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7feeb424bda7f6ffaf5090cdd01b300eaa74c02b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/98d6e5d9dc1d34dcffc61549617581a5fe1ef807"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a8f4fb6a7d58974ffc9aed597401528b181d76dc"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c8d93bc4823baecab3c39b877e16ac5f8d4d41ba"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d564a885219a655077eefafeb72395a4580ebd69"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-09-24T17:17:21Z"
  }
}