Vulnerabilities in pkg:maven/ome/pom-bio-formats

PACKAGE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-fcqj-76g3-q7qm
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-22186 is a MODERATE (CVSS 7.1) bio-formats has an xml external vulnerability (CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference) affecting Pom bio formats libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves bio-formats has an xml external entity (xxe) vulnerability. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

2 Known Advisory Record(s)
Package Vulnerability Intelligence

pkg:maven/ome/pom-bio-formats

2 Known Advisory Record(s)

Vulnerability advisories affecting package pkg:maven/ome/pom-bio-formats. Select an advisory below to view technical details or fixes.

Advisory ID CVE / NVD Severity Summary
GHSA-fcqj-76g3-q7qm CVE-2026-22186 MODERATE Bio-Formats has an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability
GHSA-qjm3-cvp9-3jj3 CVE-2026-22187 MODERATE Bio-Formats performs unsafe Java deserialization of attacker-controlled memoization cache files (.bfmemo) during image processing

CVE-2026-22186 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-22186
GHSA Identifier GHSA-fcqj-76g3-q7qm
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.1
CWE Classification CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference
Affected Product Pom bio formats
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.1

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-22186

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Pom bio formats dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

ome:pom-bio-formats fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>ome</groupId>
    <artifactId>pom-bio-formats</artifactId>
    <version>Latest secure release</version>
</dependency>
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 -Dincludes=ome

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-22186, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=ome

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Pom bio formats 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 -Dincludes=ome 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-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference, where the product processes an xml document that can contain xml entities with uris that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output. In Pom bio formats, 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

Bio-Formats versions up to and including 8.3.0 contain an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in the Leica Microsystems metadata parsing component (e.g., XLEF). The parser uses an insecurely configured DocumentBuilderFactory when processing Leica XML-based metadata files, allowing external entity expansion and external DTD loading. A crafted metadata file can trigger outbound network requests (SSRF), access local system resources where readable, or cause a denial of service during XML parsing.

CVE-2026-22186 Affected Pom bio formats Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ome:pom-bio-formats
maven/ome/pom-bio-formats
Maven
≤ 8.3.0

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/ome/bioformats/security/advisories/GHSA-x9vc-qh97-8gjp
NVD — CVE-2026-22186 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-22186
docs.openmicroscopy.org/bio-formats WEB
https://docs.openmicroscopy.org/bio-formats
Pom bio formats Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ome/bioformats
seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2026... WEB
https://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2026/Jan/6
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/bio-form... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/bio-formats-xxe-in-leica-xlef-metadata-parser

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-22186?
CVE-2026-22186 is a security vulnerability in Pom bio formats involving Bio-Formats has an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference.
Which Pom bio formats versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: ome:pom-bio-formats.
What version fixes CVE-2026-22186?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is pom-bio-formats affected?
Yes, ome:pom-bio-formats is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-22186?
CVE-2026-22186 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-22186?
CVE-2026-22186 is classified under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (The product processes an XML document that can contain XML entities with URIs that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-22186?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=ome'. 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-fcqj-76g3-q7qm",
  "modified" : "2026-03-19T21:06:48Z",
  "published" : "2026-01-07T21:31:56Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-22186" ],
  "summary" : "Bio-Formats has an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability",
  "details" : "Bio-Formats versions up to and including 8.3.0 contain an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in the Leica Microsystems metadata parsing component (e.g., XLEF). The parser uses an insecurely configured DocumentBuilderFactory when processing Leica XML-based metadata files, allowing external entity expansion and external DTD loading. A crafted metadata file can trigger outbound network requests (SSRF), access local system resources where readable, or cause a denial of service during XML parsing.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "ome:pom-bio-formats"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "8.3.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ome/bioformats/security/advisories/GHSA-x9vc-qh97-8gjp"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-22186"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://docs.openmicroscopy.org/bio-formats"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ome/bioformats"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2026/Jan/6"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/bio-formats-xxe-in-leica-xlef-metadata-parser"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-611" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-01-08T17:33:26Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-01-07T21:16:02Z"
  }
}