CVE-2026-40998: Spring Web Services · XML External Entity (XXE)
Affects Spring Web ServicesSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.2 High · fixed in 5.0.1.1 : patch Spring Web Services soon.
Data as of 29 Oct 2026, 07:15 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 28% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 5.0.1.1, 4.1.3.1, 4.0.19 +1
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:NExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 11 Jun 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 29 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade Spring Web Services to 5.0.1.1, 4.1.3.1, 4.0.19 or 3.1.9.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| SpringSpring Web Services | Affected
| Fixed in
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| SpringSpring Web Services | Affected
| Fixed in
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| SpringSpring Web Services | Affected
| Fixed in
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| SpringSpring Web Services | Affected
| Fixed in
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AI-suggested
If you cannot patch yet, avoid evaluating XPath expressions against untrusted XML inputs or implement custom hardened XML parser configurations to disable external entity resolution.
Description
Jaxp13XPathTemplate evaluated XPath expressions for StreamSource and SAXSource inputs using a code path that parsed attacker-controlled XML with the JDK's default DocumentBuilderFactory behavior instead of Spring's hardened parser configuration. Applications that evaluate XPath against untrusted XML payloads could therefore be exposed to XML External Entity (XXE) style attacks. Affected versions: Spring Web Services 5.0.0 through 5.0.1; 4.1.0 through 4.1.3; 4.0.0 through 4.0.18; 3.1.0 through 3.1.8.