CVE-2026-23396: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE

Advisory Identifier: GHSA-w4qg-rh8m-6c8q

CVSS 5.5

Published 2026-03-26

Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-23396 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.5) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is null.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-23396 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-23396

GHSA Identifier GHSA-w4qg-rh8m-6c8q

Severity MODERATE

CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.5

CWE Classification CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference

Affected Product Software

Package Ecosystem Maven

Published Date 2026-03-26

Last Updated 2026-10-15

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.5

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:N/I:N/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 None (C:N)

Integrity None (I:N)

Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-23396

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-2026-23396, 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-476: NULL Pointer Dereference, where the product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is null. 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: mac80211: fix NULL deref in mesh_matches_local() mesh_matches_local() unconditionally dereferences ie->mesh_config to compare mesh configuration parameters. When called from mesh_rx_csa_frame(), the parsed action-frame elements may not contain a Mesh Configuration IE, leaving ie->mesh_config NULL and triggering a kernel NULL pointer dereference. The other two callers are already safe: - ieee80211_mesh_rx_bcn_presp() checks !elems->mesh_config before calling mesh_matches_local() - mesh_plink_get_event() is only reached through mesh_process_plink_frame(), which checks !elems->mesh_config, too mesh_rx_csa_frame() is the only caller that passes raw parsed elements to mesh_matches_local() without guarding mesh_config. An adjacent attacker can exploit this by sending a crafted CSA action frame that includes a valid Mesh ID IE but omits the Mesh Configuration IE, crashing the kernel. The captured crash log: Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address ... KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000000-0x0000000000000007] Workqueue: events_unbound cfg80211_wiphy_work [...] Call Trace: <TASK> ? __pfx_mesh_matches_local (net/mac80211/mesh.c:65) ieee80211_mesh_rx_queued_mgmt (net/mac80211/mesh.c:1686) [...] ieee80211_iface_work (net/mac80211/iface.c:1754 net/mac80211/iface.c:1802) [...] cfg80211_wiphy_work (net/wireless/core.c:426) process_one_work (net/kernel/workqueue.c:3280) ? assign_work (net/kernel/workqueue.c:1219) worker_thread (net/kernel/workqueue.c:3352) ? __pfx_worker_thread (net/kernel/workqueue.c:3385) kthread (net/kernel/kthread.c:436) [...] ret_from_fork_asm (net/arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:255) </TASK> This patch adds a NULL check for ie->mesh_config at the top of mesh_matches_local() to return false early when the Mesh Configuration IE is absent.

References

NVD — CVE-2026-23396 NVD

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-23396

cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ss... WEB

https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-784472.html

git.kernel.org/stable/c/0a4da176ae... WEB

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0a4da176ae4b4e075a19c00d3e269cfd5e05a813

git.kernel.org/stable/c/14a4fd1365... WEB

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/14a4fd13657a3f2489db6566f081adfb27a49c64

git.kernel.org/stable/c/44699c6cdf... WEB

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/44699c6cdfce80a0f296b54ae9314461e3e41b3d

git.kernel.org/stable/c/74de6fa472... WEB

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/74de6fa472b03bc8cde0a081484e9960bcbda568

git.kernel.org/stable/c/7c55a3deaf... WEB

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7c55a3deaf7eaaafa2546f8de7fed19382a0a116

git.kernel.org/stable/c/a90279e7f7... WEB

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a90279e7f7ea0b7e923a1c5ebee9a6b78b6d1004

git.kernel.org/stable/c/c1e3f2416f... WEB

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c1e3f2416fb27c816ce96d747d3e784e31f4d95c

git.kernel.org/stable/c/c73bb9a2d3... WEB

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c73bb9a2d33bf81f6eecaa0f474b6c6dbe9855bd

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-23396?

CVE-2026-23396 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference.

Which Software versions are affected?

Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.

What version fixes CVE-2026-23396?

Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-23396?

CVE-2026-23396 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-23396?

CVE-2026-23396 is classified under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference (The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.).

How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-23396?

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-w4qg-rh8m-6c8q",
  "modified" : "2026-10-15T03:35:26Z",
  "published" : "2026-03-26T12:30:29Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-23396" ],
  "details" : "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nwifi: mac80211: fix NULL deref in mesh_matches_local()\n\nmesh_matches_local() unconditionally dereferences ie->mesh_config to\ncompare mesh configuration parameters. When called from\nmesh_rx_csa_frame(), the parsed action-frame elements may not contain a\nMesh Configuration IE, leaving ie->mesh_config NULL and triggering a\nkernel NULL pointer dereference.\n\nThe other two callers are already safe:\n  - ieee80211_mesh_rx_bcn_presp() checks !elems->mesh_config before\n    calling mesh_matches_local()\n  - mesh_plink_get_event() is only reached through\n    mesh_process_plink_frame(), which checks !elems->mesh_config, too\n\nmesh_rx_csa_frame() is the only caller that passes raw parsed elements\nto mesh_matches_local() without guarding mesh_config. An adjacent\nattacker can exploit this by sending a crafted CSA action frame that\nincludes a valid Mesh ID IE but omits the Mesh Configuration IE,\ncrashing the kernel.\n\nThe captured crash log:\n\nOops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address ...\nKASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000000-0x0000000000000007]\nWorkqueue: events_unbound cfg80211_wiphy_work\n[...]\nCall Trace:\n <TASK>\n ? __pfx_mesh_matches_local (net/mac80211/mesh.c:65)\n ieee80211_mesh_rx_queued_mgmt (net/mac80211/mesh.c:1686)\n [...]\n ieee80211_iface_work (net/mac80211/iface.c:1754 net/mac80211/iface.c:1802)\n [...]\n cfg80211_wiphy_work (net/wireless/core.c:426)\n process_one_work (net/kernel/workqueue.c:3280)\n ? assign_work (net/kernel/workqueue.c:1219)\n worker_thread (net/kernel/workqueue.c:3352)\n ? __pfx_worker_thread (net/kernel/workqueue.c:3385)\n kthread (net/kernel/kthread.c:436)\n [...]\n ret_from_fork_asm (net/arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:255)\n </TASK>\n\nThis patch adds a NULL check for ie->mesh_config at the top of\nmesh_matches_local() to return false early when the Mesh Configuration\nIE is absent.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-23396"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-784472.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0a4da176ae4b4e075a19c00d3e269cfd5e05a813"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/14a4fd13657a3f2489db6566f081adfb27a49c64"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/44699c6cdfce80a0f296b54ae9314461e3e41b3d"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/74de6fa472b03bc8cde0a081484e9960bcbda568"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7c55a3deaf7eaaafa2546f8de7fed19382a0a116"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a90279e7f7ea0b7e923a1c5ebee9a6b78b6d1004"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c1e3f2416fb27c816ce96d747d3e784e31f4d95c"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c73bb9a2d33bf81f6eecaa0f474b6c6dbe9855bd"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-476" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-03-26T11:16:18Z"
  }
}

CVSS V3

5.5 MODERATE