gradle: Download of Code Without Integrity Check
CVE-2026-22865 is a high-severity download of code without integrity check vulnerability in gradle, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.4 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected gradle versions: < 9.3.0. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.16% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of gradle you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- HighSuccess depends on conditions outside the attacker's control.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 4.0 | 8.6 | High | CNA (github.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.4 | High | NVD |
Official description
Gradle is a build automation tool, and its native-platform tool provides Java bindings for native APIs. When resolving dependencies in versions before 9.3.0, some exceptions were not treated as fatal errors and would not cause a repository to be disabled. If a build encountered one of these exceptions, Gradle would continue to the next repository in the list and potentially resolve dependencies from a different repository. An exception like NoHttpResponseException can indicate transient errors. If the errors persist after a maximum number of retries, Gradle would continue to the next repository. This behavior could allow an attacker to disrupt the service of a repository and leverage another repository to serve malicious artifacts. This attack requires the attacker to have control over a repository after the disrupted repository. Gradle has introduced a change in behavior in Gradle 9.3.0 to stop searching other repositories when encountering these errors.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Download of Code Without Integrity Check
The product downloads source code or an executable from a remote location and executes the code without sufficiently verifying the origin and integrity of the code.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Perform proper forward and reverse DNS lookups to detect DNS spoofing.
- Encrypt the code with a reliable encryption scheme before transmitting.
- Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment. For example, database applications rarely need to run as the database administrator, especially in day-to-day operations.
More Download of Code Without Integrity Check vulnerabilities (CWE-494)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Other vulnerabilities in gradle
- 7.4 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.5 High severity
Recent Download of Code Without Integrity Check vulnerabilities
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.3 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.2 High severity
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