CVE-2026-16438: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-qcw9-8pcc-76g9
CWE-266
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-16438 is a CRITICAL security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when a product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-16438 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-16438
GHSA Identifier GHSA-qcw9-8pcc-76g9
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-16438

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-2026-16438, 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-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment, where a product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. 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

Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerability in Mitsubishi Electric GENESIS64 versions 10.97.3 and prior, ICONICS Suite versions 10.97.3 and prior, Hyper Historian versions 10.97.3 and prior, AnalytiX versions 10.97.3 and prior, MobileHMI 10.97.3 and prior, MC Works64 all versions, Mitsubishi Electric Iconics Digital Solutions GENESIS64 versions 10.97.3 and prior, ICONICS Suite versions 10.97.3 and prior, Hyper Historian versions 10.97.3 and prior, AnalytiX versions 10.97.3 and prior, and MobileHMI 10.97.3 and prior allows an attacker who can log in using the same administrator account for the affected products to launch and operate DCOM objects locally or remotely. During installation, the installers of the affected products unnecessarily grant default DCOM permissions to the administrator account of the affected products. Users with that administrator accounts can locally or remotely launch and operate DCOM objects that should require UAC elevation. As a result, the attacker may disclose, tamper with, destroy, or delete internal information, or cause the affected system to enter a denial-of-service (DoS) condition.

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-16438?
CVE-2026-16438 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-16438?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-16438?
CVE-2026-16438 is classified under CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment (A product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-16438?
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-qcw9-8pcc-76g9",
  "modified" : "2026-10-15T09:30:35Z",
  "published" : "2026-10-15T09:30:35Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-16438" ],
  "details" : "Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerability in Mitsubishi Electric GENESIS64 versions 10.97.3 and prior, ICONICS Suite versions 10.97.3 and prior, Hyper Historian versions 10.97.3 and prior, AnalytiX versions 10.97.3 and prior, MobileHMI 10.97.3 and prior, MC Works64 all versions, Mitsubishi Electric Iconics Digital Solutions GENESIS64 versions 10.97.3 and prior, ICONICS Suite versions 10.97.3 and prior, Hyper Historian versions 10.97.3 and prior, AnalytiX versions 10.97.3 and prior, and MobileHMI 10.97.3 and prior allows an attacker who can log in using the same administrator account for the affected products to launch and operate DCOM objects locally or remotely. During installation, the installers of the affected products unnecessarily grant default DCOM permissions to the administrator account of the affected products. Users with that administrator accounts can locally or remotely launch and operate DCOM objects that should require UAC elevation. As a result, the attacker may disclose, tamper with, destroy, or delete internal information, or cause the affected system to enter a denial-of-service (DoS) condition.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-16438"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://jvn.jp/vu/JVNVU#93251594"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.mitsubishielectric.com/psirt/vulnerability/pdf/2026-006_en.pdf"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-266" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-10-15T09:17:17Z"
  }
}