VulnerabilityPublished 28 Sep 2026Updated 30 Sep 2026

CVE-2026-90979: Apache Karaf · LDAP Injection

Affects Apache KarafSource CVE Database V5

Compare

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.3 High : upgrade to 4.4.12 soon.

Data as of 12 Nov 2026, 23:25 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.3High

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

EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 38% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 4.4.12

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

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

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: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 28 Sep 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 13 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.

What to do

Upgrade Apache Karaf and org.apache.karaf/apache-karaf to 4.4.12.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Apache Software FoundationApache Karaf	Affected <4.4.12	Fixed in 4.4.12
Mavenorg.apache.karaf/apache-karaf`pkg:maven/org.apache.karaf/apache-karaf`Other threats	Affected <4.4.12	Fixed in 4.4.12

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

A fix is available in Apache Karaf version 4.4.12 and later. Users should upgrade to version 4.4.12 or newer to resolve this issue. Until upgrading, avoid using authentication modules or code paths that pass unescaped input to LDAPCache or LDAPBackingEngine. Use only modules that apply proper RFC 4515 escaping (e.g., LDAPLoginModule, LDAPPubkeyLoginModule). Patch status is confirmed by the vendor advisory indicating the fix in 4.4.12.

Description

CVE-2026-90979 is an LDAP injection vulnerability in Apache Karaf affecting versions before 4.4.12. The issue arises from improper escaping of special characters in LDAP search filters constructed by LDAPCache and LDAPBackingEngine. This can allow crafted input to alter LDAP queries, potentially causing unauthorized role assignments or incorrect user account resolution. The vulnerability is exploitable through certain authentication modules that do not apply proper escaping, such as GSSAPILdapLoginModule and LDAPBackingEngine listRoles. The vulnerability has a high severity score of 7.3.

Impact

An attacker able to supply crafted input to affected LDAP filter construction paths can manipulate LDAP queries to match unintended entries. This can result in unauthorized role assignments or incorrect user authentication mapping, potentially granting elevated privileges or access to accounts other than the attacker’s own. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.3 (high), indicating significant confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts.

Summary

Apache Karaf versions prior to 4.4.12 contain an LDAP injection vulnerability (CWE-90) due to insufficient escaping of special characters in LDAP search filters. The LDAPCache and LDAPBackingEngine components build LDAP filters by substituting placeholders (%u, %dn, %fqdn) with user-supplied values but only double backslash escape was applied, omitting required escaping of characters like '*', '(', ')', and NUL as per RFC 4515. This allows crafted input to manipulate the LDAP filter structure, potentially causing broader matches than intended, leading to over-granting of roles or incorrect user account resolution. The vulnerability is not exploitable via LDAPLoginModule or LDAPPubkeyLoginModule because they apply correct RFC 4515 escaping, but is exploitable via GSSAPILdapLoginModule and LDAPBackingEngine listRoles, which pass unescaped input directly.

CWE-90Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an LDAP Query (LDAP Injection) (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A05:2025: Injection (opens in a new tab)
The product constructs all or part of an LDAP query using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended LDAP query when it is sent to a downstream component.
Implementation · Input Validation
Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
LDAP Injection Prevention (opens in a new tab)
Abuse Case (opens in a new tab)
Deserialization (opens in a new tab)
Injection Prevention (opens in a new tab)
SQL Injection Prevention (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V5.3.7 (opens in a new tab)
V1.5.1 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
LDAP Injection (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

Loading reviews…

Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 5 Oct 2026, 20:22 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-90

Technical details

References

Community reviews

Related threats