CVE-2026-42403: Neethi Apache Neethi Does Not Properly Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2hfh-9h53-qc24
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-400
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-42403 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) apache neethi does not properly vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Neethi libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves apache neethi does not properly detect circular references in policy definitions.. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.2.2.

CVE-2026-42403 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-42403
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2hfh-9h53-qc24
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Neethi
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-42403

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Neethi dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.apache.neethi:neethi fixed: 3.2.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.neethi</groupId>
    <artifactId>neethi</artifactId>
    <version>3.2.2</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.neethi

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-42403, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.neethi

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Neethi in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.2.2), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.neethi command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In Neethi, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

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 condition Users are recommended to upgrade to version 3.2.2, which fixes this issue.

CVE-2026-42403 Affected Neethi Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.2.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.neethi:neethi
maven/org.apache.neethi/neethi
Maven
< 3.2.2
3.2.2

References

NVD — CVE-2026-42403 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42403
Neethi Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/ws-neethi
lists.apache.org/thread/zm6t8skkkskj... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread/zm6t8skkkskjwk1881l4m4n0l7dqclzo
Neethi Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/01/7

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-42403?
CVE-2026-42403 is a security vulnerability in Neethi involving Apache Neethi does not properly detect circular references in policy definitions. under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Neethi versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.2.2 across affected packages: org.apache.neethi:neethi.
What version fixes CVE-2026-42403?
Upgrading to 3.2.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is neethi affected?
Yes, org.apache.neethi:neethi is affected in releases prior to 3.2.2. Upgrade your dependency to 3.2.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-42403?
CVE-2026-42403 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-42403?
CVE-2026-42403 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-42403?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.neethi'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-2hfh-9h53-qc24",
  "modified" : "2026-05-07T02:39:24Z",
  "published" : "2026-05-01T09:30:25Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-42403" ],
  "summary" : "Apache Neethi does not properly detect circular references in policy definitions.",
  "details" : "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 condition\n\nUsers are recommended to upgrade to version 3.2.2, which fixes this issue.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.neethi:neethi"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.2.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42403"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/ws-neethi"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread/zm6t8skkkskjwk1881l4m4n0l7dqclzo"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/01/7"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-05-07T02:39:24Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-05-01T09:16:17Z"
  }
}