HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2026-42403
HIGH

CVE-2026-42403

CWE-400Published: May 1, 2026· Updated: May 1, 2026

7.5
CVSS v3.1
EPSS:0.03%probability of exploitation in 30 daysPercentile:7.2th

Official Description

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.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2026-42403 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.5.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Apache1 product
neethi
Source: NVD CPE · 1 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
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Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttps://lists.apache.org/thread/zm6t8skkkskjwk1881l4m4n0l7dqclzo
ADVISORYhttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/01/7

All References (2)

→
https://lists.apache.org/thread/zm6t8skkkskjwk1881l4m4n0l7dqclzoMailing List · Vendor Advisory
→
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/01/7Mailing List · Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2026-42403
CVSS Score7.5 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-400
CISA KEVNo
EPSS (30d)0.03%
Affected1 vendor
PublishedMay 1, 2026

Related CVEs (CWE-400)

CVE-2026-30141
9.8
CVE-2026-8856
9.1
CVE-2026-46385
8.7
CVE-2025-32422
8.7
CVE-2026-41146
8.7
CVE-2026-33155
8.7

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2026-42403 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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