CVE-2026-40998: Spring Web Services Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2mpf-m756-hxjm
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CVSS 8.2
CWE-611
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-40998 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.2) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference) affecting Spring Web Services libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves jaxp13 xpath xxe via streamsource and saxsource. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 5.0.2, 4.1.4.

CVE-2026-40998 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-40998
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2mpf-m756-hxjm
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.2
CWE Classification CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference
Affected Product Spring Web Services
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.2

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:H/I:L/A:N).

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 High (C:H)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2026-40998

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Spring Web Services 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.springframework.ws:spring-xml fixed: 5.0.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.ws</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-xml</artifactId>
    <version>5.0.2</version>
</dependency>
org.springframework.ws:spring-xml fixed: 4.1.4 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.ws</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-xml</artifactId>
    <version>4.1.4</version>
</dependency>
org.springframework.ws:spring-xml fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.ws</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-xml</artifactId>
    <version>Latest secure release</version>
</dependency>
org.springframework.ws:spring-xml fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.ws</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-xml</artifactId>
    <version>Latest secure release</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.springframework.ws

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-40998, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.ws

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Spring Web Services in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 5.0.2), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.ws 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-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference, where 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. In Spring Web Services, 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

Jaxp13XPathTemplate evaluated XPath expressions for StreamSource and SAXSource inputs using a code path that parsed attacker-controlled XML with the JDK's default DocumentBuilderFactory behavior instead of Spring's hardened parser configuration. Applications that evaluate XPath against untrusted XML payloads could therefore be exposed to XML External Entity (XXE) style attacks. Affected versions: Spring Web Services 5.0.0 through 5.0.1; 4.1.0 through 4.1.3; 4.0.0 through 4.0.18; 3.1.0 through 3.1.8.

CVE-2026-40998 Affected Spring Web Services Versions

4 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
5.0.24.1.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.springframework.ws:spring-xml
maven/org.springframework.ws/spring-xml
Maven
≥ 5.0.0
< 5.0.2
5.0.2
org.springframework.ws:spring-xml
maven/org.springframework.ws/spring-xml
Maven
≥ 4.1.0
< 4.1.4
4.1.4
org.springframework.ws:spring-xml
maven/org.springframework.ws/spring-xml
Maven
≥ 4.0.0
≤ 4.0.18
org.springframework.ws:spring-xml
maven/org.springframework.ws/spring-xml
Maven
≥ 3.1.0
≤ 3.1.8

References

NVD — CVE-2026-40998 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-40998
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-ws/commit/eb8d66c0995d1e1dd5bfcfb657c8c9de21266d97
Spring Web Services Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-ws
Spring Web Services Security Information SECURITY
https://spring.io/security/cve-2026-40998

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-40998?
CVE-2026-40998 is a security vulnerability in Spring Web Services involving Jaxp13 XPath XXE via StreamSource and SAXSource under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference.
Which Spring Web Services versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 5.0.2, 4.1.4 across affected packages: org.springframework.ws:spring-xml.
What version fixes CVE-2026-40998?
Upgrading to 5.0.2, 4.1.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is spring-xml affected?
Yes, org.springframework.ws:spring-xml is affected in releases prior to 5.0.2, 4.1.4, Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to 5.0.2, 4.1.4, Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-40998?
CVE-2026-40998 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.2 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-40998?
CVE-2026-40998 is classified under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (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.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-40998?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.ws'. 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-2mpf-m756-hxjm",
  "modified" : "2026-08-21T19:13:08Z",
  "published" : "2026-06-11T09:31:56Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-40998" ],
  "summary" : "Spring Web Services: Jaxp13 XPath XXE via StreamSource and SAXSource",
  "details" : "Jaxp13XPathTemplate evaluated XPath expressions for StreamSource and SAXSource inputs using a code path that parsed attacker-controlled XML with the JDK's default DocumentBuilderFactory behavior instead of Spring's hardened parser configuration. Applications that evaluate XPath against untrusted XML payloads could therefore be exposed to XML External Entity (XXE) style attacks.\n\nAffected versions:\nSpring Web Services 5.0.0 through 5.0.1; 4.1.0 through 4.1.3; 4.0.0 through 4.0.18; 3.1.0 through 3.1.8.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.springframework.ws:spring-xml"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.0.2"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 5.0.1"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.springframework.ws:spring-xml"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.1.4"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 4.1.3"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.springframework.ws:spring-xml"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "4.0.18"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.springframework.ws:spring-xml"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.1.0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "3.1.8"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-40998"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-ws/commit/eb8d66c0995d1e1dd5bfcfb657c8c9de21266d97"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-ws"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://spring.io/security/cve-2026-40998"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-611" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-08-21T19:13:08Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-06-11T07:16:27Z"
  }
}