CVE-2026-33453: CWE-915 Improperly Controlled Modification of Dynamically-Determined Object Attributes in Apache Software Foundation Apache Camel
Improperly Controlled Modification of Dynamically-Determined Object Attributes vulnerability in Apache Camel Camel-Coap component. Apache Camel's camel-coap component is vulnerable to Camel message header injection, leading to remote code execution when routes forward CoAP requests to header-sensitive producers (e.g. camel-exec) The camel-coap component maps incoming CoAP request URI query parameters directly into Camel Exchange In message headers without applying any HeaderFilterStrategy. Specifically, CamelCoapResource.handleRequest() iterates over OptionSet.getUriQuery() and calls camelExchange.getIn().setHeader(...) for every query parameter. CoAPEndpoint extends DefaultEndpoint rather than DefaultHeaderFilterStrategyEndpoint, and CoAPComponent does not implement HeaderFilterStrategyComponent; the component contains no references to HeaderFilterStrategy at all. As a result, an unauthenticated attacker who can send a single CoAP UDP packet to a Camel route consuming from coap:// can inject arbitrary Camel internal headers (those prefixed with Camel*) into the Exchange. When the route delivers the message to a header-sensitive producer such as camel-exec, camel-sql, camel-bean, camel-file, or template components (camel-freemarker, camel-velocity), the injected headers can alter the producer's behavior. In the case of camel-exec, the CamelExecCommandExecutable and CamelExecCommandArgs headers override the executable and arguments configured on the endpoint, resulting in arbitrary OS command execution under the privileges of the Camel process. The producer's output is written back to the Exchange body and returned in the CoAP response payload by CamelCoapResource, giving the attacker an interactive RCE channel without any need for out-of-band exfiltration. Exploitation prerequisites are minimal: a single unauthenticated UDP datagram to the CoAP port (default 5683). CoAP (RFC 7252) has no built-in authentication, and DTLS is optional and disabled by default. Because the protocol is UDP-based, HTTP-layer WAF/IDS controls do not apply. This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.14.0 through 4.14.5, from 4.18.0 before 4.18.1, 4.19.0. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.18.1 or 4.19.0, fixing the issue.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The vulnerability in Apache Camel's camel-coap component (CVE-2026-33453) is due to improper control over modification of dynamically-determined object attributes (CWE-915). Specifically, the component directly maps incoming CoAP URI query parameters into Camel Exchange In message headers without applying any header filtering strategy. This allows an unauthenticated attacker to inject arbitrary Camel internal headers (prefixed with Camel*) by sending a single UDP CoAP packet. When these headers reach header-sensitive producers such as camel-exec, they can override configured executables and arguments, resulting in remote code execution under the Camel process privileges. The vulnerability affects Apache Camel versions 4.14.0 through 4.14.5, 4.18.0 before 4.18.1, and 4.19.0. The vendor advisory from Red Hat confirms the availability of fixed versions 4.18.1 and 4.19.0. The exploit requires minimal prerequisites and bypasses typical HTTP-layer protections due to the UDP-based CoAP protocol.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands with the privileges of the Apache Camel process. This is achieved by injecting malicious headers into the Camel Exchange via CoAP URI query parameters, which can alter the behavior of header-sensitive producers such as camel-exec. The attacker gains an interactive remote code execution channel with no need for out-of-band data exfiltration. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 10.0 (critical), indicating a high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Mitigation Recommendations
A fix is available. Users should upgrade Apache Camel to version 4.18.1 or 4.19.0, which address this vulnerability. The vendor advisory from Red Hat confirms these versions as patched releases. Until upgrading, users should consider disabling or restricting access to the camel-coap component or applying network-level controls to limit UDP traffic to the CoAP port (5683). However, the primary and recommended mitigation is to apply the official patch by upgrading to the fixed versions.
CVE-2026-33453: CWE-915 Improperly Controlled Modification of Dynamically-Determined Object Attributes in Apache Software Foundation Apache Camel
Description
Improperly Controlled Modification of Dynamically-Determined Object Attributes vulnerability in Apache Camel Camel-Coap component. Apache Camel's camel-coap component is vulnerable to Camel message header injection, leading to remote code execution when routes forward CoAP requests to header-sensitive producers (e.g. camel-exec) The camel-coap component maps incoming CoAP request URI query parameters directly into Camel Exchange In message headers without applying any HeaderFilterStrategy. Specifically, CamelCoapResource.handleRequest() iterates over OptionSet.getUriQuery() and calls camelExchange.getIn().setHeader(...) for every query parameter. CoAPEndpoint extends DefaultEndpoint rather than DefaultHeaderFilterStrategyEndpoint, and CoAPComponent does not implement HeaderFilterStrategyComponent; the component contains no references to HeaderFilterStrategy at all. As a result, an unauthenticated attacker who can send a single CoAP UDP packet to a Camel route consuming from coap:// can inject arbitrary Camel internal headers (those prefixed with Camel*) into the Exchange. When the route delivers the message to a header-sensitive producer such as camel-exec, camel-sql, camel-bean, camel-file, or template components (camel-freemarker, camel-velocity), the injected headers can alter the producer's behavior. In the case of camel-exec, the CamelExecCommandExecutable and CamelExecCommandArgs headers override the executable and arguments configured on the endpoint, resulting in arbitrary OS command execution under the privileges of the Camel process. The producer's output is written back to the Exchange body and returned in the CoAP response payload by CamelCoapResource, giving the attacker an interactive RCE channel without any need for out-of-band exfiltration. Exploitation prerequisites are minimal: a single unauthenticated UDP datagram to the CoAP port (default 5683). CoAP (RFC 7252) has no built-in authentication, and DTLS is optional and disabled by default. Because the protocol is UDP-based, HTTP-layer WAF/IDS controls do not apply. This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.14.0 through 4.14.5, from 4.18.0 before 4.18.1, 4.19.0. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.18.1 or 4.19.0, fixing the issue.
CVSS v3.1
Score 10.0critical
Affected software
pkg:maven/org.apache.camel/camel-coapRun on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The vulnerability in Apache Camel's camel-coap component (CVE-2026-33453) is due to improper control over modification of dynamically-determined object attributes (CWE-915). Specifically, the component directly maps incoming CoAP URI query parameters into Camel Exchange In message headers without applying any header filtering strategy. This allows an unauthenticated attacker to inject arbitrary Camel internal headers (prefixed with Camel*) by sending a single UDP CoAP packet. When these headers reach header-sensitive producers such as camel-exec, they can override configured executables and arguments, resulting in remote code execution under the Camel process privileges. The vulnerability affects Apache Camel versions 4.14.0 through 4.14.5, 4.18.0 before 4.18.1, and 4.19.0. The vendor advisory from Red Hat confirms the availability of fixed versions 4.18.1 and 4.19.0. The exploit requires minimal prerequisites and bypasses typical HTTP-layer protections due to the UDP-based CoAP protocol.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary operating system commands with the privileges of the Apache Camel process. This is achieved by injecting malicious headers into the Camel Exchange via CoAP URI query parameters, which can alter the behavior of header-sensitive producers such as camel-exec. The attacker gains an interactive remote code execution channel with no need for out-of-band data exfiltration. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 10.0 (critical), indicating a high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Mitigation Recommendations
A fix is available. Users should upgrade Apache Camel to version 4.18.1 or 4.19.0, which address this vulnerability. The vendor advisory from Red Hat confirms these versions as patched releases. Until upgrading, users should consider disabling or restricting access to the camel-coap component or applying network-level controls to limit UDP traffic to the CoAP port (5683). However, the primary and recommended mitigation is to apply the official patch by upgrading to the fixed versions.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- apache
- Date Reserved
- 2026-03-20T09:04:24.188Z
- Cvss Version
- null
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-33453","vendor":"Red Hat"},{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:17668","vendor":"Red Hat"}]
Threat ID: 69ef3e3cba26a39fba196b2e
Added to database: 04/27/2026, 10:45:16 UTC
Last enriched: 07/15/2026, 08:59:57 UTC
Last updated: 07/31/2026, 19:22:58 UTC
Views: 162
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