CVE-2026-42402
Description
A flaw was found in Apache Neethi. A remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by providing specially crafted WS-Policy documents. This triggers an algorithmic complexity issue during policy normalization, leading to an exponential expansion of policy alternatives. This unbounded memory allocation exhausts the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) heap, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS) condition.
Statement
This flaw is rated Moderate because Apache Neethi, as used in Red Hat products, is susceptible to a denial of service. Remote attackers can provide malicious WS-Policy documents, leading to an algorithmic complexity issue during policy normalization. This results in unbounded memory allocation, exhausting the JVM heap and causing service unavailability. In order to exploit this vulnerability, the attack should have enough privileges in the targeted system to include the maliciously crafted policy document or trick the user to consume it.
Mitigation
Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 6.5 | N/A | 7.5 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory); DoS: Resource Consumption (Other)
When allocating resources without limits, an attacker could prevent other systems, applications, or processes from accessing the same type of resource. It can be easy for an attacker to consume many resources by rapidly making many requests or causing larger resources to be used than is needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
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