CVE-2026-23281: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-f429-w42v-q89c
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CVSS 7.8
CWE-416
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-23281 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 any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer..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-2026-23281 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-23281
GHSA Identifier GHSA-f429-w42v-q89c
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-2026-23281

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-2026-23281, 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: wifi: libertas: fix use-after-free in lbs_free_adapter() The lbs_free_adapter() function uses timer_delete() (non-synchronous) for both command_timer and tx_lockup_timer before the structure is freed. This is incorrect because timer_delete() does not wait for any running timer callback to complete. If a timer callback is executing when lbs_free_adapter() is called, the callback will access freed memory since lbs_cfg_free() frees the containing structure immediately after lbs_free_adapter() returns. Both timer callbacks (lbs_cmd_timeout_handler and lbs_tx_lockup_handler) access priv->driver_lock, priv->cur_cmd, priv->dev, and other fields, which would all be use-after-free violations. Use timer_delete_sync() instead to ensure any running timer callback has completed before returning. This bug was introduced in commit 8f641d93c38a ("libertas: detect TX lockups and reset hardware") where del_timer() was used instead of del_timer_sync() in the cleanup path. The command_timer has had the same issue since the driver was first written.

References

NVD — CVE-2026-23281 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-23281
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ss... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-784472.html
git.kernel.org/stable/c/03cc8f90d0... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/03cc8f90d0537fcd4985c3319b4fafbf2e3fb1f0
git.kernel.org/stable/c/09f3c30ab3... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/09f3c30ab3b1371eaf9676a1b8add57bca763083
git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c5c818c78... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c5c818c78b03a1725f3dcd566865c77b48dd3a6
git.kernel.org/stable/c/3f9dec4a6d... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3f9dec4a6d95d7f1f5e9e9dfdfa173c053bba8dc
git.kernel.org/stable/c/a9f55b1448... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a9f55b14486426d907459bced5825a25063bd922
git.kernel.org/stable/c/b15e0fa7ad... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b15e0fa7adb4de3a03aee9e6fc4d83e5cf0a65e4
git.kernel.org/stable/c/d0155fe68f... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d0155fe68f31b339961cf2d4f92937d57e9384e6
git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed7d30f90b... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed7d30f90b77f73a47498686ede83f622b7e4f0d

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-23281?
CVE-2026-23281 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-2026-23281?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-23281?
CVE-2026-23281 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-2026-23281?
CVE-2026-23281 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-2026-23281?
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-f429-w42v-q89c",
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  "published" : "2026-03-25T12:30:21Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-23281" ],
  "details" : "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nwifi: libertas: fix use-after-free in lbs_free_adapter()\n\nThe lbs_free_adapter() function uses timer_delete() (non-synchronous)\nfor both command_timer and tx_lockup_timer before the structure is\nfreed. This is incorrect because timer_delete() does not wait for\nany running timer callback to complete.\n\nIf a timer callback is executing when lbs_free_adapter() is called,\nthe callback will access freed memory since lbs_cfg_free() frees the\ncontaining structure immediately after lbs_free_adapter() returns.\n\nBoth timer callbacks (lbs_cmd_timeout_handler and lbs_tx_lockup_handler)\naccess priv->driver_lock, priv->cur_cmd, priv->dev, and other fields,\nwhich would all be use-after-free violations.\n\nUse timer_delete_sync() instead to ensure any running timer callback\nhas completed before returning.\n\nThis bug was introduced in commit 8f641d93c38a (\"libertas: detect TX\nlockups and reset hardware\") where del_timer() was used instead of\ndel_timer_sync() in the cleanup path. The command_timer has had the\nsame issue since the driver was first written.",
  "severity" : [ {
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  }, {
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    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d0155fe68f31b339961cf2d4f92937d57e9384e6"
  }, {
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    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed7d30f90b77f73a47498686ede83f622b7e4f0d"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
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    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-03-25T11:16:22Z"
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}