CVE-2026-40997: Spring Web Services SOAP Security Faults Leak Spring Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5x25-c2rf-f2jx
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CVSS 5.3
CWE-209
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-40997 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) soap security faults leak spring vulnerability (CWE-209: Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information) affecting Spring Web Services libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves soap security faults leak spring security account state. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 5.0.2, 4.1.4.

CVE-2026-40997 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-40997
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5x25-c2rf-f2jx
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-209: Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information
Affected Product Spring Web Services
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.3

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-40997

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-ws-security fixed: 5.0.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.ws</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-ws-security</artifactId>
    <version>5.0.2</version>
</dependency>
org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security fixed: 4.1.4 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.ws</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-ws-security</artifactId>
    <version>4.1.4</version>
</dependency>
org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.ws</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-ws-security</artifactId>
    <version>Latest secure release</version>
</dependency>
org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.ws</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-ws-security</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-2026-40997, 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-209: Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information, where the product generates an error message that includes sensitive information about its environment, users, or associated data. 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

Several Spring WS integration paths with Spring Security could surface detailed account state (for example locked or disabled user semantics) to remote SOAP clients through exception messages or callback outcomes, instead of failing with generic authentication errors. That behavior assists remote attackers in distinguishing valid accounts from invalid ones and inferring lifecycle state. 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-2026-40997 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-ws-security
maven/org.springframework.ws/spring-ws-security
Maven
≥ 5.0.0
< 5.0.2
5.0.2
org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security
maven/org.springframework.ws/spring-ws-security
Maven
≥ 4.1.0
< 4.1.4
4.1.4
org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security
maven/org.springframework.ws/spring-ws-security
Maven
≥ 4.0.0
≤ 4.0.18
org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security
maven/org.springframework.ws/spring-ws-security
Maven
≥ 3.1.0
≤ 3.1.8

References

NVD — CVE-2026-40997 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-40997
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-ws/commit/5051fae1a836c4d7fa12dedebdca23494764e421
Spring Web Services Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-ws
Spring Web Services Security Information SECURITY
https://spring.io/security/cve-2026-40997

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-40997?
CVE-2026-40997 is a security vulnerability in Spring Web Services involving SOAP security faults leak Spring Security account state under CWE-209: Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information.
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-ws-security.
What version fixes CVE-2026-40997?
Upgrading to 5.0.2, 4.1.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is spring-ws-security affected?
Yes, org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security 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-2026-40997?
CVE-2026-40997 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-40997?
CVE-2026-40997 is classified under CWE-209: Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information (The product generates an error message that includes sensitive information about its environment, users, or associated data.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-40997?
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-5x25-c2rf-f2jx",
  "modified" : "2026-08-21T19:13:01Z",
  "published" : "2026-06-11T09:31:56Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-40997" ],
  "summary" : "Spring Web Services: SOAP security faults leak Spring Security account state",
  "details" : "Several Spring WS integration paths with Spring Security could surface detailed account state (for example locked or disabled user semantics) to remote SOAP clients through exception messages or callback outcomes, instead of failing with generic authentication errors. That behavior assists remote attackers in distinguishing valid accounts from invalid ones and inferring lifecycle state.\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:L/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security"
    },
    "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-ws-security"
    },
    "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-ws-security"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "4.0.18"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.1.0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "3.1.8"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-40997"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-ws/commit/5051fae1a836c4d7fa12dedebdca23494764e421"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-ws"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://spring.io/security/cve-2026-40997"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-209" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-08-21T19:13:01Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-06-11T07:16:27Z"
  }
}