CVE-2026-42402: Apache Neethi · Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affects Apache NeethiSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High : upgrade to 3.2.2 soon.
Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.7% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 53% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 3.2.2
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 1 May 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 30 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade Apache to 3.2.2.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Apache Software FoundationApache Neethi | Affected
| Fixed in
|
MavenApache Software Foundation/org.apache.neethi:neethipkg:maven/Apache Software Foundation/org.apache.neethi:neethiOther 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
Users should upgrade to Apache Neethi version 3.2.2 or later, which includes a fix that limits the maximum number of normalized policy alternatives during the normalization process. Patch status is not explicitly confirmed in the advisory fields, but the vendor recommends upgrading to 3.2.2 as the remediation. No other mitigations are specified.
Description
Apache Neethi is vulnerable to a Denial of Service attack through algorithmic complexity in policy normalization. Specially crafted WS-Policy documents can trigger an exponential Cartesian cross-product expansion during the normalization process, causing unbounded memory allocation that exhausts the JVM heap. This occurs when the normalization process generates an excessive number of policy alternatives without bounds, leading to runtime memory exhaustion. Users should upgrade to 3.2.2 which limits the maximum number of normalized policy alternatives.