CVE-2026-120761: Apache Axis2/Java · XML External Entity (XXE)
Affects Apache Axis2/JavaSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited : upgrade to 2.0.2 soon.
Data as of 9 Nov 2026, 11:18 UTC
Rated High by Threat Radar's AI analysis · CVSS not yet scored by NVD
Thin evidence
One scorer or none- Patch
- Available – fixed in 2.0.2
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 8 Nov 2026.
What to do
Upgrade Apache Axis2/Java and org.apache.axis2/axis2-kernel to 2.0.2.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Apache Axis2/Javaorg.apache.axis2:axis2-kernel | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Mavenorg.apache.axis2/axis2-kernelpkg:maven/org.apache.axis2/axis2-kernelOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
Upgrade Apache Axis2/Java to version 2.0.2 or later, where this vulnerability is fixed. No other mitigation is required as the fix addresses the root cause.
Description
Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference vulnerability in Apache Axis2/Java. When a client built an AxisService from a WSDL URL, through ServiceClient or AxisService.createClientSideAxisService, wsdl4j import resolution was enabled and the documents named by wsdl:import and xsd:import were parsed by wsdl4j's own XML parser, which processes DOCTYPE declarations and external entities. An attacker who controls a WSDL, or a document it imports, could therefore read local files or make the JVM issue network requests. This issue affects Apache Axis2/Java: through 2.0.1. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.0.2, which fixes the issue.
References
- github.com/apache/axis-axis2-java-core/commit/1d3457d12399c7721ed3f52e7031d1d24d169460 (opens in a new tab)
- axis.apache.org/axis2/java/core/release-notes/2.0.2.html (opens in a new tab)
- lists.apache.org/thread.html/7jw9v3qz0cdpon7fc6vsvkqp0jdt5kt0 (opens in a new tab)
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/11/06/22 (opens in a new tab)