CVE-2026-108981: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

LOW
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5fhq-3m7h-fqv8
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CVSS 3.6
CWE-61
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-108981 is a LOW (CVSS 3.6) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-61: UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product, when opening a file or directory, does not sufficiently account for when the file is a symbolic link that resolves to a target outside of the intended control sphere. this could allow an attacker to cause the product to operate on unauthorized files.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-108981 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-108981
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5fhq-3m7h-fqv8
Severity LOW
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 3.6
CWE Classification CWE-61: UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 3.6

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-108981

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-2026-108981, 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-61: UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following, where the product, when opening a file or directory, does not sufficiently account for when the file is a symbolic link that resolves to a target outside of the intended control sphere. this could allow an attacker to cause the product to operate on unauthorized files. 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

ngx_cache_purge before 3.0.4 can allow file deletion via a symlink attack in certain situations where nginx and a served application (e.g., WordPress) run under the same user account. The attacker must be able to create a symlink inside the cache path. Version 3.0.4 fixes this for the case of a symlink created at an arbitrary earlier time, but does not resolve an applicable TOCTOU race condition. (The ngx_cache_purge module follows symlinks while walking the cache directory tree during purge operations. The module relies on nginx's ngx_walk_tree(), which relies on stat() and therefore follows symlinks.)

References

NVD — CVE-2026-108981 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-108981
Software Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/nginx-modules/ngx_cache_purge/pull/72
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/nginx-modules/ngx_cache_purge/commit/a6da1352f52a8a02dd6828e88c39ed42fddcee96
Software Release RELEASE
https://github.com/nginx-modules/ngx_cache_purge/releases/tag/3.0.4

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-108981?
CVE-2026-108981 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-61: UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-108981?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-108981?
CVE-2026-108981 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 3.6 (LOW) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-108981?
CVE-2026-108981 is classified under CWE-61: UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following (The product, when opening a file or directory, does not sufficiently account for when the file is a symbolic link that resolves to a target outside of the intended control sphere. This could allow an attacker to cause the product to operate on unauthorized files.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-108981?
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-5fhq-3m7h-fqv8",
  "modified" : "2026-10-12T03:32:56Z",
  "published" : "2026-10-12T03:32:56Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-108981" ],
  "details" : "ngx_cache_purge before 3.0.4 can allow file deletion via a symlink attack in certain situations where nginx and a served application (e.g., WordPress) run under the same user account. The attacker must be able to create a symlink inside the cache path. Version 3.0.4 fixes this for the case of a symlink created at an arbitrary earlier time, but does not resolve an applicable TOCTOU race condition. (The ngx_cache_purge module follows symlinks while walking the cache directory tree during purge operations. The module relies on nginx's ngx_walk_tree(), which relies on stat() and therefore follows symlinks.)",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-108981"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/nginx-modules/ngx_cache_purge/pull/72"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/nginx-modules/ngx_cache_purge/commit/a6da1352f52a8a02dd6828e88c39ed42fddcee96"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/nginx-modules/ngx_cache_purge/releases/tag/3.0.4"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-61" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-10-12T03:17:18Z"
  }
}