CVE-2026-68426: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-g9mw-m3g9-8x3m
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-416
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-68426 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-416: Use After Free) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. at some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-68426 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-68426
GHSA Identifier GHSA-g9mw-m3g9-8x3m
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-416: Use After Free
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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:U/C:H/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 Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-68426

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-2026-68426, 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-416: Use After Free, where the product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. at some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer. 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: xfrm: fix stale skb->prev after async crypto steals a GSO segment skb_gso_segment() leaves the segment list head with ->prev pointing at the last segment, an invariant validate_xmit_skb_list() relies on when it sets its tail pointer (tail = skb->prev). When validate_xmit_xfrm() walks a GSO list and some segments are stolen by async crypto (->xmit() returns -EINPROGRESS), those segments are unlinked from the list but the head ->prev is never updated. If the last segment is the one stolen, the returned head still has ->prev pointing at it, even though it is now owned by the crypto engine and may be freed. validate_xmit_skb_list() later does tail->next = skb, writing through that stale pointer -- a use-after-free. Repoint skb->prev at the last retained segment before returning.

References

NVD — CVE-2026-68426 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-68426
git.kernel.org/stable/c/33e1b0d25c... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/33e1b0d25ca0d2818c635ff80e6aa0d295e08a98
git.kernel.org/stable/c/3f4c3919ba... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3f4c3919baf0944ad96580467c302bc6c7758b00
git.kernel.org/stable/c/bbca7cc3b2... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bbca7cc3b2b4b10afbfee99b81d9ee78f5423046

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-68426?
CVE-2026-68426 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-416: Use After Free.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-68426?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-68426?
CVE-2026-68426 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-68426?
CVE-2026-68426 is classified under CWE-416: Use After Free (The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-68426?
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 
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  "id" : "GHSA-g9mw-m3g9-8x3m",
  "modified" : "2026-08-14T00:31:58Z",
  "published" : "2026-08-10T15:33:51Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-68426" ],
  "details" : "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nxfrm: fix stale skb->prev after async crypto steals a GSO segment\n\nskb_gso_segment() leaves the segment list head with ->prev pointing at\nthe last segment, an invariant validate_xmit_skb_list() relies on when\nit sets its tail pointer (tail = skb->prev).\n\nWhen validate_xmit_xfrm() walks a GSO list and some segments are stolen\nby async crypto (->xmit() returns -EINPROGRESS), those segments are\nunlinked from the list but the head ->prev is never updated.  If the\nlast segment is the one stolen, the returned head still has ->prev\npointing at it, even though it is now owned by the crypto engine and may\nbe freed.  validate_xmit_skb_list() later does tail->next = skb, writing\nthrough that stale pointer -- a use-after-free.\n\nRepoint skb->prev at the last retained segment before returning.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-68426"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/33e1b0d25ca0d2818c635ff80e6aa0d295e08a98"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3f4c3919baf0944ad96580467c302bc6c7758b00"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bbca7cc3b2b4b10afbfee99b81d9ee78f5423046"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-416" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-08-10T13:20:36Z"
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}