CVE-2026-18796: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-q9vx-6fw9-4mv8
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CWE-1342
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-18796 is a MODERATE security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-1342: Information Exposure through Microarchitectural State after Transient Execution) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the processor does not properly clear microarchitectural state after incorrect microcode assists or speculative execution, resulting in transient execution.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-18796 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-18796
GHSA Identifier GHSA-q9vx-6fw9-4mv8
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-1342: Information Exposure through Microarchitectural State after Transient Execution
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-18796

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-2026-18796, 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-1342: Information Exposure through Microarchitectural State after Transient Execution, where the processor does not properly clear microarchitectural state after incorrect microcode assists or speculative execution, resulting in transient execution. 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

Any application that uses external QSPI flash for encrypted XIP on nRF5340 and relies on that encryption for confidentiality and/or integrity of the externally stored code. No specific nRF Connect SDK version is the root cause; the weakness is in the on-the-fly decryption scheme.

References

NVD — CVE-2026-18796 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-18796
docs.nordicsemi.com/r/bundle/struct_sa/... WEB
https://docs.nordicsemi.com/r/bundle/struct_sa/page/struct/sa.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-18796?
CVE-2026-18796 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-1342: Information Exposure through Microarchitectural State after Transient Execution.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-18796?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-18796?
CVE-2026-18796 is classified under CWE-1342: Information Exposure through Microarchitectural State after Transient Execution (The processor does not properly clear microarchitectural state after incorrect microcode assists or speculative execution, resulting in transient execution.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-18796?
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-q9vx-6fw9-4mv8",
  "modified" : "2026-09-07T09:31:40Z",
  "published" : "2026-09-07T09:31:40Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-18796" ],
  "details" : "Any application that\n     uses external QSPI flash for encrypted XIP on nRF5340 and relies on that\n     encryption for confidentiality and/or integrity of the externally stored\n     code. No specific nRF Connect SDK version is the root cause; the weakness\n     is in the on-the-fly decryption scheme.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:P/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N/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-2026-18796"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://docs.nordicsemi.com/r/bundle/struct_sa/page/struct/sa.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1342" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-09-07T09:17:15Z"
  }
}