Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-42779

RCE in Apache Mina 2.1.0 – 2.1.12

Published
01 May 2026
Modified
01 May 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0090 57th percentile
Risk Priority 73 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-42779 is a critical-severity Deserialization of Untrusted Data (CWE-502) vulnerability in Apache Mina. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 43% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2026-42779 is a vulnerability in Apache MINA stemming from an incomplete fix for the prior CVE-2026-41635. In Apache MINA's AbstractIoBuffer.resolveClass() method, one code branch handling static classes or primitive types bypasses the classname allowlist entirely, enabling arbitrary code execution through unchecked Class.forName() calls during deserialization. The issue affects Apache MINA versions 2.1.0 through 2.1.11 and 2.2.0 through 2.2.6, specifically applications that invoke IoBuffer.getObject().

Remote attackers require no privileges, authentication, or user interaction to exploit this over the network with low complexity. By supplying malicious serialized data to an affected IoBuffer.getObject() call, they can trigger the bypass and execute arbitrary code, potentially compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and CWE-502 (Deserialization of Untrusted Data).

The Apache security advisory, detailed at https://lists.apache.org/thread/fhlx5k91hrkgyzh7yk1nghrn3k27gxy0, states the vulnerability is resolved in Apache MINA 2.1.12 and 2.2.7 by applying the classname allowlist check earlier in the resolveClass() flow. Affected applications are advised to upgrade to these patched versions immediately.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

The fix for CVE-2026-41635 was not applied to the 2.1.X and 2.2.X branches. Here was the original issue description: Apache MINA's AbstractIoBuffer.resolveClass() contains two branches, one of them (for static classes or primitive types) does not check the class at…

more

all, bypassing the classname allowlist and allowing arbitrary code to be executed. The fix checks if the class is present in the accepted class filter before calling Class.forName(). Affected versions are Apache MINA 2.1.0 <= 2.1.11, and 2.2.0 <= 2.2.6. The problem is resolved in Apache MINA 2.1.12, and 2.2.7 by applying the classname allowlist earlier. Affected are applications using Apache MINA that call IoBuffer.getObject(). Applications using Apache MINA are advised to upgrade.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-52046Same product: Apache Mina
CVE-2026-47065Same product: Apache Mina
CVE-2026-41409Same product: Apache Mina
CVE-2026-42778Same product: Apache Mina
CVE-2026-41635Same product: Apache Mina
CVE-2021-29200Same vendor: Apache
CVE-2023-37895Same vendor: Apache
CVE-2023-39410Same vendor: Apache
CVE-2026-61484Same vendor: Apache
CVE-2026-40860Same vendor: Apache

Affected Assets

apache
mina
2.1.0 — 2.1.12 · 2.2.0 — 2.2.7

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Developer testing and evaluation can uncover deserialization flaws before deployment.

Input validation directly stops deserialization of untrusted data by ensuring inputs are valid before processing.

Engineering principles such as safe deserialization and input sanitization structurally prevent the weakness from being introduced.

Integrity verification tools can detect malformed or tampered serialized data after the fact.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-02 none match
prevents

PR.PS-02 addresses only post-deployment updates/patching and cannot prevent introduction of unsafe deserialization code, yet it can remediate some instances when the flaw exists in outdated libraries or components.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

Security testing includes validation of deserialization routines and the use of untrusted data, reducing the likelihood that unsafe object reconstruction will be deployed.

prevents

Requiring vetted libraries, regular updates and SAST before release reduces the likelihood that deserialization logic will accept and act on attacker-controlled serialized objects.

finds

Regular scanning of third-party libraries and timely patching reduce the likelihood that unsafe deserialization vulnerabilities remain active.

none

Mandatory malware scanning of data received over networks or storage media intercepts malicious serialized payloads before they are deserialized by the target application.

References