VulnerabilityPublished 6 Aug 2026

CVE-2026-65432: Apache CXF · XML External Entity (XXE)

Affects Apache CXFSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High · fixed in 4.2.3 : patch Apache CXF soon.

Data as of 5 Nov 2026, 00:01 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.6% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 51% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 4.2.3, 4.1.8, 3.6.12

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 6 Aug 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 5 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.

ghsa-jvhw-7q2c-2r65

What to do

Upgrade Apache to 4.2.3, 4.1.8 or 3.6.12.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Apache Software FoundationApache CXF	Affected >=4.2.0 <4.2.3	Fixed in 4.2.3
Apache Software FoundationApache CXF	Affected >=4.0.0 <4.1.8	Fixed in 4.1.8
Apache Software FoundationApache CXF	Affected <3.6.12	Fixed in 3.6.12
MavenApache Software Foundation/org.apache.cxf:cxf-rt-wsdl`pkg:maven/Apache Software Foundation/org.apache.cxf:cxf-rt-wsdl`Other threats	Affected >=4.2.0 <4.2.3 >=4.0.0 <4.1.8 <3.6.12	Fixed in 4.2.3 4.1.8 3.6.12

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 Apache CXF to versions 4.2.3, 4.1.8, or 3.6.12, which include fixes for this vulnerability. No other mitigations are specified. Patch status is confirmed by the vendor advisory recommending these versions.

Description

Apache CXF versions prior to 4.2.3, 4.1.8, and 3.6.12 are vulnerable to an XML External Entity (XXE) attack due to improper restriction of XML external entity references in imported WSDL/XSD documents. While the top-level WSDL is processed securely with external entities disabled, imported documents are handled by WSDL4J, which does not disable these features, exposing the system to potential information disclosure. This vulnerability is identified as CWE-611 and has a CVSS score of 7.5, indicating high severity. Users are advised to upgrade to fixed versions 4.2.3, 4.1.8, or 3.6.12 to mitigate the risk.

Impact

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an attacker to perform XML External Entity (XXE) attacks via imported WSDL or XSD documents, potentially leading to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information. The CVSS score of 7.5 reflects a high impact on confidentiality with no impact on integrity or availability.

Summary

Apache CXF reads the top-level WSDL using a hardened StaxUtils path that disables XML DTDs and external entities, preventing XXE attacks on the main document. However, any <wsdl:import> or <xsd:import> elements in the top-level WSDL are processed by WSDL4J, which does not disable DOCTYPE declarations or external entities. This discrepancy allows imported WSDL/XSD documents to be vulnerable to XML External Entity (XXE) attacks, bypassing protections applied to the top-level WSDL. The issue affects Apache CXF versions before 4.2.3, 4.1.8, and 3.6.12. Upgrading to these versions resolves the vulnerability.

CWE-611Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A02:2025: Security Misconfiguration (opens in a new tab)
The product processes an XML document that can contain XML entities with URIs that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output.
Implementation · System Configuration
Many XML parsers and validators can be configured to disable external entity expansion.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Deserialization (opens in a new tab)
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
XML External Entity Prevention (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V5.5.2 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Data Serialization External Entities Blowup (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 13 Aug 2026, 16:58 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-611

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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