CVE-2026-20280: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-h893-gcq5-j4cv
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-703
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-20280 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-703: Improper Check or Handling of Exceptional Conditions) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product does not properly anticipate or handle exceptional conditions that rarely occur during normal operation of the product.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-20280 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-20280
GHSA Identifier GHSA-h893-gcq5-j4cv
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-703: Improper Check or Handling of Exceptional Conditions
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-20280

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-2026-20280, 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-703: Improper Check or Handling of Exceptional Conditions, where the product does not properly anticipate or handle exceptional conditions that rarely occur during normal operation of the product. 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

As part of Cisco's ongoing commitment to proactive security and product quality, the Cisco IOS XR Software engineering team has conducted a comprehensive internal security review. This review resulted in a software hardening releases that address multiple internally discovered vulnerabilities. The vulnerabilities tracked by CVE-2026-20280 are related to improper checking or handling of exceptional condition issues that are grouped under the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) CWE-703.

References

NVD — CVE-2026-20280 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20280
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-hardening-iosxr-qg64NcM
CVE Official Record — CVE-2026-20280 CVE
https://www.cve.org/Media/News/item/blog/2026/06/16/Preserving-Vulnerability-Level-Identification

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-20280?
CVE-2026-20280 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-703: Improper Check or Handling of Exceptional Conditions.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-20280?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-20280?
CVE-2026-20280 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-20280?
CVE-2026-20280 is classified under CWE-703: Improper Check or Handling of Exceptional Conditions (The product does not properly anticipate or handle exceptional conditions that rarely occur during normal operation of the product.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-20280?
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-h893-gcq5-j4cv",
  "modified" : "2026-09-15T18:32:13Z",
  "published" : "2026-09-02T18:32:26Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-20280" ],
  "details" : "As part of Cisco's ongoing commitment to proactive security and product quality, the Cisco IOS XR Software engineering team has conducted a comprehensive internal security review. This review resulted in a software hardening releases that address multiple internally discovered vulnerabilities.\n\nThe vulnerabilities tracked by CVE-2026-20280 are related to improper checking or handling of exceptional condition issues that are grouped under the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) CWE-703.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20280"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-hardening-iosxr-qg64NcM"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.cve.org/Media/News/item/blog/2026/06/16/Preserving-Vulnerability-Level-Identification"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-703" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-09-02T17:17:33Z"
  }
}