PatchTheCVECVE-2026-42403: Apache Neethi does not properly detect circular references in policy definitions
CVE-2026-42403 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.5) affecting neethi. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.
Apache Neethi does not properly detect circular references in policy definitions. When a WS-Policy document contains circular policy references (where Policy A references Policy B which references Policy A), the policy normalization process can enter an infinite loop or cause excessive recursion, leading to a stack overflow or application hang. An attacker can craft malicious policy documents with circular references to cause a Denial of Service
Why this priority
- High severity
- Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action
- On your watchlist
A fixed release or distro patch exists.
Risk facts
| CVSS score | 7.5 (High) |
| Attack vector | Network (remote) |
| Attack complexity | Low |
| Privileges needed | None |
| User interaction | None |
| EPSS exploit chance | 0.8% (top 45%) |
| CISA exploited list | No |
| Weakness | CWE-400 |
| Published | 2026-05-01 |
| Last modified | 2026-10-26 |
Last updated 2026-10-26 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score
Am I affected?
Timeline
- Published CVE record published
- Updated Record last modified
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.
Quick answers
How do I fix CVE-2026-42403?
neethi: upgrade to 3.2.2. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.
Is CVE-2026-42403 being exploited?
CVE-2026-42403 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.
What does CVE-2026-42403 affect?
CVE-2026-42403 affects neethi. Severity is high (CVSS 7.5). Apache Neethi does not properly detect circular references in policy definitions. When a WS-Policy document contains circular policy references (where Policy A references Policy B which references Policy A), the policy normalization process
How urgent is CVE-2026-42403?
Priority 50/100. High severity; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action; On your watchlist
Related CVEs
- CVE-2026-42404 MEDIUM 6.5 UPGRADE Apache Neethi does not impose any restrictions on URIs when manually fetching remote policy references through
- CVE-2026-42402 HIGH 7.5 UPGRADE Apache Neethi is vulnerable to a Denial of Service attack through algorithmic complexity in policy normalizati
- CVE-2026-66143 HIGH 7.5 DOWNGRADE It is possible to bypass the maximum number of normalized policy alternatives that was introduced in Apache Ne
- CVE-2026-66142 HIGH 7.5 UPGRADE Apache Neethi is vulnerable to uncontrolled recursion when parsing policies that lack policy Ids or with deepl
- CVE-2026-66144 HIGH 7.5 UPGRADE Although remote policy references are not retrieved during policy normalization, if they are manually retrieve