CVE-2026-42960: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-x7f7-rggg-4jvv
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CVSS 10.0
CWE-349
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-42960 is a MODERATE (CVSS 10.0) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-349: Acceptance of Extraneous Untrusted Data With Trusted Data) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product, when processing trusted data, accepts any untrusted data that is also included with the trusted data, treating the untrusted data as if it were trusted.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-42960 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-42960
GHSA Identifier GHSA-x7f7-rggg-4jvv
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 10.0
CWE Classification CWE-349: Acceptance of Extraneous Untrusted Data With Trusted Data
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 10.0

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-42960

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-2026-42960, 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-349: Acceptance of Extraneous Untrusted Data With Trusted Data, where the product, when processing trusted data, accepts any untrusted data that is also included with the trusted data, treating the untrusted data as if it were trusted. 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

NLnet Labs Unbound up to and including version 1.25.0 is vulnerable to poisoning via promiscuous records for the authority section. Promiscuous RRSets that complement DNS replies in the authority section can be used to trick Unbound to cache such records. If an adversary is able to attach such records in a reply (i.e., spoofed packet, fragmentation attack) he would be able to poison Unbound's cache. A malicious actor can exploit the possible poisonous effect by injecting RRSets other than NS that are also accompanied by address records in a reply, for example MX. This could be achieved by trying to spoof a reply packet or fragmentation attacks. Unbound would then accept the relative address records in the additional section and cache them if the authority RRSet has enough trust at this point, i.e., in-zone data for the delegation point. Unbound 1.25.1 contains a patch with a fix that disregards address records from the additional section if they are not explicitly relevant only to authority NS records, mitigating the possible poison effect. This is a complement fix to CVE-2025-11411.

References

NVD — CVE-2026-42960 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42960
www.nlnetlabs.nl/downloads/unbound/c... WEB
https://www.nlnetlabs.nl/downloads/unbound/CVE-2026-42960.txt

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-42960?
CVE-2026-42960 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-349: Acceptance of Extraneous Untrusted Data With Trusted Data.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-42960?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-42960?
CVE-2026-42960 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 10.0 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-42960?
CVE-2026-42960 is classified under CWE-349: Acceptance of Extraneous Untrusted Data With Trusted Data (The product, when processing trusted data, accepts any untrusted data that is also included with the trusted data, treating the untrusted data as if it were trusted.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-42960?
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-x7f7-rggg-4jvv",
  "modified" : "2026-05-21T00:30:27Z",
  "published" : "2026-05-20T12:30:37Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-42960" ],
  "details" : "NLnet Labs Unbound up to and including version 1.25.0 is vulnerable to poisoning via promiscuous records for the authority section. Promiscuous RRSets that complement DNS replies in the authority section can be used to trick Unbound to cache such records. If an adversary is able to attach such records in a reply (i.e., spoofed packet, fragmentation attack) he would be able to poison Unbound's cache. A malicious actor can exploit the possible poisonous effect by injecting RRSets other than NS that are also accompanied by address records in a reply, for example MX. This could be achieved by trying to spoof a reply packet or fragmentation attacks. Unbound would then accept the relative address records in the additional section and cache them if the authority RRSet has enough trust at this point, i.e., in-zone data for the delegation point. Unbound 1.25.1 contains a patch with a fix that disregards address records from the additional section if they are not explicitly relevant only to authority NS records, mitigating the possible poison effect. This is a complement fix to CVE-2025-11411.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:H/SA:H/E:P/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:Amber"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42960"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.nlnetlabs.nl/downloads/unbound/CVE-2026-42960.txt"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-349" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-05-20T10:16:28Z"
  }
}