CVE-2026-40995: Spring Web Services Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-6mfm-98wv-32wm
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CVSS 5.4
CWE-287
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-40995 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.4) authentication bypass vulnerability (CWE-287: Improper Authentication) affecting Spring Web Services libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves x.509 authentication bypasses spring security account checks. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 5.0.2, 4.1.4.

CVE-2026-40995 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-40995
GHSA Identifier GHSA-6mfm-98wv-32wm
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.4
CWE Classification CWE-287: Improper Authentication
Affected Product Spring Web Services
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.4

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2026-40995

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-2026-40995, 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-287: Improper Authentication, where when an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct. 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

X509AuthenticationProvider could issue a fully authenticated X509AuthenticationToken when a presented certificate mapped to UserDetails, without applying Spring Security's standard account lifecycle checks (disabled, locked, expired, or credentials-expired accounts). 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-2026-40995 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-2026-40995 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-40995
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-ws/commit/e5dc311359e14f5b25bcb33f20d43cc3513e9d10
Spring Web Services Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-ws
Spring Web Services Security Information SECURITY
https://spring.io/security/cve-2026-40995

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-40995?
CVE-2026-40995 is a security vulnerability in Spring Web Services involving X.509 authentication bypasses Spring Security account checks under CWE-287: Improper Authentication.
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-2026-40995?
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-2026-40995?
CVE-2026-40995 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-40995?
CVE-2026-40995 is classified under CWE-287: Improper Authentication (When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-40995?
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-6mfm-98wv-32wm",
  "modified" : "2026-08-21T19:12:41Z",
  "published" : "2026-06-11T09:31:56Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-40995" ],
  "summary" : "Spring Web Services: X.509 authentication bypasses Spring Security account checks",
  "details" : "X509AuthenticationProvider could issue a fully authenticated X509AuthenticationToken when a presented certificate mapped to UserDetails, without applying Spring Security's standard account lifecycle checks (disabled, locked, expired, or credentials-expired accounts).\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:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/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-2026-40995"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-ws/commit/e5dc311359e14f5b25bcb33f20d43cc3513e9d10"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-ws"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://spring.io/security/cve-2026-40995"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-287" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-08-21T19:12:41Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-06-11T07:16:27Z"
  }
}