CVE-2026-42402
Apache Neethi: Policy Normalization Unbounded Resource Allocation DoS
Apache Neethi is vulnerable to a Denial of Service attack through algorithmic complexity in policy normalization. Specially crafted WS-Policy documents can trigger an exponential Cartesian cross-product expansion during the normalization process, causing unbounded memory allocation that exhausts the JVM heap. This occurs when the normalization process generates an excessive number of policy alternatives without bounds, leading to runtime memory exhaustion.
Users should upgrade to 3.2.2 which limits the maximum number of normalized policy alternatives.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
7.5
Apache Neethi: Policy Normalization Unbounded Resource Allocation DoS
Apache Neethi is vulnerable to a Denial of Service attack through algorithmic complexity in policy normalization. Specially crafted WS-Policy documents can trigger an exponential Cartesian cross-product expansion during the normalization process, causing unbounded memory allocation that exhausts the JVM heap. This occurs when the normalization process generates an excessive number of policy alternatives without bounds, leading to runtime memory exhaustion.
Users should upgrade to 3.2.2 which limits the maximum number of normalized policy alternatives.
- Record
CVE-2026-42402- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-400
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2026-26485
7.5
Apache Neethi is vulnerable to a Denial of Service attack through algorithmic complexity in policy normalization. Specially crafted WS-Policy documents can trigger an exponential Cartesian cross-product expansion during the normalization process, causing unbounded memory allocation that exhausts the JVM heap. This occurs when the normalization process generates an excessive number of policy alternatives without bounds, leading to runtime memory exhaustion.
Users should upgrade to 3.2.2 which limits the maximum number of normalized policy alternatives.
- Record
EUVD-2026-26485- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-g36m-9g3m-2vmp
7.5
Apache Neethi is vulnerable to a Denial of Service attack through algorithmic complexity in policy normalization
Apache Neethi is vulnerable to a Denial of Service attack through algorithmic complexity in policy normalization. Specially crafted WS-Policy documents can trigger an exponential Cartesian cross-product expansion during the normalization process, causing unbounded memory allocation that exhausts the JVM heap. This occurs when the normalization process generates an excessive number of policy alternatives without bounds, leading to runtime memory exhaustion.
Users should upgrade to 3.2.2 which limits the maximum number of normalized policy alternatives.
- Record
GHSA-g36m-9g3m-2vmp- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-400
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
7.5
Apache Neethi is vulnerable to a Denial of Service attack through algorithmic complexity in policy normalization. Specially crafted WS-Policy documents can trigger an exponential Cartesian cross-product expansion during the normalization process, causing unbounded memory allocation that exhausts the JVM heap. This occurs when the normalization process generates an excessive number of policy alternatives without bounds, leading to runtime memory exhaustion.
Users should upgrade to 3.2.2 which limits the maximum number of normalized policy alternatives.
- Record
CVE-2026-42402- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-400
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
7.5
Apache Neethi: Policy Normalization Unbounded Resource Allocation DoS
Apache Neethi is vulnerable to a Denial of Service attack through algorithmic complexity in policy normalization. Specially crafted WS-Policy documents can trigger an exponential Cartesian cross-product expansion during the normalization process, causing unbounded memory allocation that exhausts the JVM heap. This occurs when the normalization process generates an excessive number of policy alternatives without bounds, leading to runtime memory exhaustion.
Users should upgrade to 3.2.2 which limits the maximum number of normalized policy alternatives.
- Record
CVE-2026-42402- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-400
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-g36m-9g3m-2vmp
7.5
Apache Neethi is vulnerable to a Denial of Service attack through algorithmic complexity in policy normalization
Apache Neethi is vulnerable to a Denial of Service attack through algorithmic complexity in policy normalization. Specially crafted WS-Policy documents can trigger an exponential Cartesian cross-product expansion during the normalization process, causing unbounded memory allocation that exhausts the JVM heap. This occurs when the normalization process generates an excessive number of policy alternatives without bounds, leading to runtime memory exhaustion.
Users should upgrade to 3.2.2 which limits the maximum number of normalized policy alternatives.
- Record
GHSA-g36m-9g3m-2vmp- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-400
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVRHLW-2026-53fe7bbf25ea635a
7.5
Lightwell Security Advisory: neethi 3.2.1.rhlw-00003
Red Hat Lightwell has released org.apache.neethi:neethi 3.2.1.rhlw-00003 with a backported security fix.
CVE-2026-42402: Apache Neethi: Policy Normalization Unbounded Resource Allocation DoS
This patched artifact is a drop-in replacement for org.apache.neethi:neethi 3.2.1 from Maven Central.
- Record
RHLW-2026-53fe7bbf25ea635a- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
org.apache.neethi:neethiMaven |
before 3.2.2 | 3.2.2 |
org.apache.neethi:neethiMaven |
before 3.2.2, plus listed versions 2.02.0.12.0.22.0.32.0.4 Show 9 moreShow less2.0.53.0.03.0.13.0.23.0.33.1.03.1.13.2.03.2.1 |
3.2.2 |
org.apache.neethi:neethiRed Hat Lightwell:Maven |
before 3.2.1.rhlw-00003, plus listed versions 2.02.0.12.0.22.0.32.0.4 Show 9 moreShow less2.0.53.0.03.0.13.0.23.0.33.1.03.1.13.2.03.2.1 |
3.2.1.rhlw-00003 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2026-42402 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in Apache Neethi, published May 1, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.71%, the 53rd percentile. Fixed in org.apache.neethi:neethi 3.2.2.
References
lists.apache.org/thread/p826j0phhmr9f83wzpmys1y0bdfrr2q4
openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/01/6
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42402
github.com/advisories/GHSA-g36m-9g3m-2vmp
repo.maven.apache.org/maven2
github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/42xxx/CVE-2026-42402.json
github.com/apache/ws-neethi