CVE-2026-23458: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-pqg4-x7w2-6f65
Share
CVSS 7.8
CWE-416
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-23458 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 any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer..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-2026-23458 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-23458
GHSA Identifier GHSA-pqg4-x7w2-6f65
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-2026-23458

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-2026-23458, 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: ctnetlink: fix use-after-free in ctnetlink_dump_exp_ct() ctnetlink_dump_exp_ct() stores a conntrack pointer in cb->data for the netlink dump callback ctnetlink_exp_ct_dump_table(), but drops the conntrack reference immediately after netlink_dump_start(). When the dump spans multiple rounds, the second recvmsg() triggers the dump callback which dereferences the now-freed conntrack via nfct_help(ct), leading to a use-after-free on ct->ext. The bug is that the netlink_dump_control has no .start or .done callbacks to manage the conntrack reference across dump rounds. Other dump functions in the same file (e.g. ctnetlink_get_conntrack) properly use .start/.done callbacks for this purpose. Fix this by adding .start and .done callbacks that hold and release the conntrack reference for the duration of the dump, and move the nfct_help() call after the cb->args[0] early-return check in the dump callback to avoid dereferencing ct->ext unnecessarily. BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ctnetlink_exp_ct_dump_table+0x4f/0x2e0 Read of size 8 at addr ffff88810597ebf0 by task ctnetlink_poc/133 CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 133 Comm: ctnetlink_poc Not tainted 7.0.0-rc2+ #3 PREEMPTLAZY Call Trace: <TASK> ctnetlink_exp_ct_dump_table+0x4f/0x2e0 netlink_dump+0x333/0x880 netlink_recvmsg+0x3e2/0x4b0 ? aa_sk_perm+0x184/0x450 sock_recvmsg+0xde/0xf0 Allocated by task 133: kmem_cache_alloc_noprof+0x134/0x440 __nf_conntrack_alloc+0xa8/0x2b0 ctnetlink_create_conntrack+0xa1/0x900 ctnetlink_new_conntrack+0x3cf/0x7d0 nfnetlink_rcv_msg+0x48e/0x510 netlink_rcv_skb+0xc9/0x1f0 nfnetlink_rcv+0xdb/0x220 netlink_unicast+0x3ec/0x590 netlink_sendmsg+0x397/0x690 __sys_sendmsg+0xf4/0x180 Freed by task 0: slab_free_after_rcu_debug+0xad/0x1e0 rcu_core+0x5c3/0x9c0

References

NVD — CVE-2026-23458 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-23458
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ss... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-019113.html
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ss... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-082556.html
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ss... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-457936.html
git.kernel.org/stable/c/04c8907ce4... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/04c8907ce4e3d3e26c5e1a3e47aa5d17082cbb56
git.kernel.org/stable/c/5cb81eeda9... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5cb81eeda909dbb2def209dd10636b51549a3f8a
git.kernel.org/stable/c/9821b47f66... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9821b47f669eb82791fa0b1a6ebaf9aa219bea72
git.kernel.org/stable/c/bdf2724eef... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bdf2724eefd4455a66863abb025bab8d3aa98c57
git.kernel.org/stable/c/cd541f15b6... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cd541f15b60e2257441398cf495d978f816d09f8
git.kernel.org/stable/c/d8cd0efbcc... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d8cd0efbccc5cfb0a80da744a7da76e1333ab925
git.kernel.org/stable/c/f025171fee... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f025171feef2ac65663d7986f1d5ff0c28d6b2a9
git.kernel.org/stable/c/f04cc86d59... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f04cc86d59906513d2d62183b882966fc0ae0390

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-23458?
CVE-2026-23458 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-2026-23458?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-23458?
CVE-2026-23458 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-2026-23458?
CVE-2026-23458 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-2026-23458?
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 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-pqg4-x7w2-6f65",
  "modified" : "2026-10-15T03:35:31Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-03T18:31:22Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-23458" ],
  "details" : "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nnetfilter: ctnetlink: fix use-after-free in ctnetlink_dump_exp_ct()\n\nctnetlink_dump_exp_ct() stores a conntrack pointer in cb->data for the\nnetlink dump callback ctnetlink_exp_ct_dump_table(), but drops the\nconntrack reference immediately after netlink_dump_start().  When the\ndump spans multiple rounds, the second recvmsg() triggers the dump\ncallback which dereferences the now-freed conntrack via nfct_help(ct),\nleading to a use-after-free on ct->ext.\n\nThe bug is that the netlink_dump_control has no .start or .done\ncallbacks to manage the conntrack reference across dump rounds.  Other\ndump functions in the same file (e.g. ctnetlink_get_conntrack) properly\nuse .start/.done callbacks for this purpose.\n\nFix this by adding .start and .done callbacks that hold and release the\nconntrack reference for the duration of the dump, and move the\nnfct_help() call after the cb->args[0] early-return check in the dump\ncallback to avoid dereferencing ct->ext unnecessarily.\n\n BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ctnetlink_exp_ct_dump_table+0x4f/0x2e0\n Read of size 8 at addr ffff88810597ebf0 by task ctnetlink_poc/133\n\n CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 133 Comm: ctnetlink_poc Not tainted 7.0.0-rc2+ #3 PREEMPTLAZY\n Call Trace:\n  <TASK>\n  ctnetlink_exp_ct_dump_table+0x4f/0x2e0\n  netlink_dump+0x333/0x880\n  netlink_recvmsg+0x3e2/0x4b0\n  ? aa_sk_perm+0x184/0x450\n  sock_recvmsg+0xde/0xf0\n\n Allocated by task 133:\n  kmem_cache_alloc_noprof+0x134/0x440\n  __nf_conntrack_alloc+0xa8/0x2b0\n  ctnetlink_create_conntrack+0xa1/0x900\n  ctnetlink_new_conntrack+0x3cf/0x7d0\n  nfnetlink_rcv_msg+0x48e/0x510\n  netlink_rcv_skb+0xc9/0x1f0\n  nfnetlink_rcv+0xdb/0x220\n  netlink_unicast+0x3ec/0x590\n  netlink_sendmsg+0x397/0x690\n  __sys_sendmsg+0xf4/0x180\n\n Freed by task 0:\n  slab_free_after_rcu_debug+0xad/0x1e0\n  rcu_core+0x5c3/0x9c0",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-23458"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-019113.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-082556.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-457936.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/04c8907ce4e3d3e26c5e1a3e47aa5d17082cbb56"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5cb81eeda909dbb2def209dd10636b51549a3f8a"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9821b47f669eb82791fa0b1a6ebaf9aa219bea72"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bdf2724eefd4455a66863abb025bab8d3aa98c57"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cd541f15b60e2257441398cf495d978f816d09f8"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d8cd0efbccc5cfb0a80da744a7da76e1333ab925"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f025171feef2ac65663d7986f1d5ff0c28d6b2a9"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f04cc86d59906513d2d62183b882966fc0ae0390"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-416" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-03T16:16:32Z"
  }
}