CVE-2026-22816 - Gradle Plugin
CVE-2026-22816
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. If a Gradle build used an unresolvable host name, Gradle would continue to work as long as all dependencies could be resolved from another repository. An unresolvable host name could be caused by allowing a repository's domain name registration to lapse or typo-ing the real domain name. This behavior could allow an attacker to register a service under the host name used by the build and serve malicious artifacts. The attack requires the repository to be listed before others in the build configuration. Gradle has introduced a change in behavior in Gradle 9.3.0 to stop searching other repositories when encountering these errors.
CVE-2026-22816
HIGH
CVSS 8.6
Published 2026-01-16
Updated 2026-02-18
AI Risk Critical (97/100)
Active Exploit: Likely
Published Exploit: Public exploit references found
Priority: P1 Immediate
Severity Band
HIGH
CVSS Vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:H/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 Components
1
Reference Links
2
AI Risk Engine
Critical (97/100)
Exploitability
High
Active Exploitation
Likely
Published Exploit Status
Public exploit references found
AI Context
Machine-generated threat intelligence
AI
Updated 7 days ago
AI enriched 7 days ago (2026-04-09 07:36 UTC)
Technical Summary
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. If a Gradle build used an unresolvable host name, Gradle would continue to work…
Potential Impact
Severity is HIGH (CVSS 8.6). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.
Exploitability Assessment
Exploitability is assessed as High based on published exploit references.
Primary risk drivers: published exploit references
Mitigation Recommendations
Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.
Detection & Monitoring
Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.
Business Impact Lens
Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.
