VulnerabilityPublished 9 Nov 2026

CVE-2026-119078: Apache Commons Codec · Incorrect Provision of Specified Functionality

Affects Apache Commons CodecSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited : upgrade to 1.23.0 when convenient.

Data as of 9 Nov 2026, 20:20 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated Medium by Threat Radar's AI analysis · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

Patch: Available – fixed in 1.23.0

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 9 Nov 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 9 Nov 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade Apache Commons Codec and commons-codec/commons-codec to 1.23.0.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Apache Commons Codeccommons-codec:commons-codec	Affected >=1.16.0 <1.23.0	Fixed in 1.23.0
Mavencommons-codec/commons-codec`pkg:maven/commons-codec/commons-codec`Other threats	Affected >=1.16.0 <1.23.0	Fixed in 1.23.0

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

Upgrade to Apache Commons Codec version 1.23.0 or later to obtain corrected documentation. However, since the behavior of doFinalize remains unchanged, users must review and update their applications to avoid multiple consecutive doFinalize calls on the same Blake3 instance. Instead, derive multiple keys by requesting the combined length in a single doFinalize call and splitting the output as per the updated Javadoc guidance.

Description

Apache Commons Codec's Blake3 class has a documented behavior mismatch in its doFinalize method. The method's documentation states that consecutive calls to doFinalize would produce different outputs, but in reality, repeated calls without new input return the same output. This affects key derivation processes that rely on multiple doFinalize calls to generate distinct keys, causing them to produce identical keys instead. The issue affects versions from 1.16.0 up to but not including 1.23.0. Version 1.23.0 corrects the documentation but does not change the method's behavior. Users must adjust their code to derive multiple keys correctly by requesting the combined length in a single call and splitting the output.

Impact

Applications using Apache Commons Codec versions from 1.16.0 to before 1.23.0 that rely on multiple consecutive calls to doFinalize on the same Blake3 instance for key derivation will derive identical keys instead of distinct ones. This undermines the cryptographic separation between keys, potentially weakening security mechanisms that depend on unique keys. The issue is behavioral and does not involve a direct code execution or memory corruption vulnerability. No known exploits in the wild have been reported.

Summary

The vulnerability in Apache Commons Codec's Blake3 class arises from incorrect documentation and misunderstanding of the doFinalize method's behavior. The doFinalize method does not alter the hash state upon repeated calls without additional input, contrary to the documentation's claim. Consequently, applications that call doFinalize multiple times on the same Blake3 instance expecting different outputs will receive identical results. This leads to key derivation flaws where multiple keys derived consecutively are identical, compromising the intended key separation. The issue affects versions >=1.16.0 and <1.23.0. The fix in version 1.23.0 updates the documentation to reflect the actual behavior but does not change the method's implementation. Developers are advised to modify their key derivation logic to request the total key length in one call and split the output accordingly.

CWE-684Incorrect Provision of Specified Functionality (opens in a new tab)
Class weakness
The code does not function according to its published specifications, potentially leading to incorrect usage.
Implementation
Ensure that your code strictly conforms to specifications.
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).
CWE-1068Inconsistency Between Implementation and Documented Design (opens in a new tab)
Class weakness
The implementation of the product is not consistent with the design as described within the relevant documentation.
MITRE does not allow mapping vulnerabilities to this entry; it groups weaknesses rather than naming one.

References

lists.apache.org/thread.html/ol71kdgopfxwlxgqmkd0jrfcw05wdq5z (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 9 Nov 2026, 20:20 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-684, CWE-1068

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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