Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-44417

Apache Cxf ≤ 3.6.11

Published
22 May 2026
Modified
23 July 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0064 47th percentile
Risk Priority 56 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-44417 is a high-severity Improper Input Validation (CWE-20) vulnerability in Apache Cxf. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception by PATH Environment Variable (T1574.007); ranked at the 47th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AC-6 (Least Privilege) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

The fix for CVE-2025-48913: Apache CXF: Untrusted JMS configuration can lead to RCE was not complete, meaning that another path in the code might lead to code execution capabilities, if untrusted users are allowed to configure JMS for Apache CXF.…

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Users are recommended to upgrade to versions 4.2.1, 4.1.6 or 3.6.11, which fix this issue.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1574.007 Path Interception by PATH Environment Variable Stealth
Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by hijacking environment variables used to load libraries.
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.
T1547.004 Winlogon Helper DLL Persistence
Adversaries may abuse features of Winlogon to execute DLLs and/or executables when a user logs in.
T1547.014 Active Setup Persistence
Adversaries may achieve persistence by adding a Registry key to the Active Setup of the local machine.
T1574 Hijack Execution Flow Stealth
Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by hijacking the way operating systems run programs.
T1574.006 Dynamic Linker Hijacking Stealth
Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by hijacking environment variables the dynamic linker uses to load shared libraries.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-57817Same product: Apache Cxf
CVE-2025-48913Same product: Apache Cxf
CVE-2026-50632Same product: Apache Cxf
CVE-2026-50633Same product: Apache Cxf
CVE-2026-50628Same product: Apache Cxf
CVE-2024-32007Same product: Apache Cxf
CVE-2024-29736Same product: Apache Cxf
CVE-2024-41172Same product: Apache Cxf
CVE-2025-48795Same product: Apache Cxf
CVE-2025-23184Same product: Apache Cxf

Affected Assets

apache
cxf
4.2.0 · ≤ 3.6.11 · 4.0.0 — 4.1.6

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 10 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Enforces approved authorizations for logical access to configuration resources so external parties cannot alter them.

Enforces documented access restrictions on all changes to system configuration, directly blocking unauthorized external control of settings.

Limits privileges to the minimum needed, reducing the set of users who can externally modify configuration.

Developer testing and evaluation can discover missing input validation through analysis or test cases.

SI-10 directly requires validity checks on information inputs, structurally preventing improper or missing validation.

Requiring documented development standards and tools can embed input-validation practices into the engineering process.

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-01 mostly match
prevents

Hardened configuration baselines and change controls directly limit external manipulation of settings.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require and enforce input validation during development.

ID.RA-07 partial match
prevents

Formal change and exception management catches externally driven configuration alterations.

PR.AA-05 partial match
prevents

Least-privilege access policies reduce unauthorized external modification of configuration values.

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.

degrades

Configuration management directly prevents external tampering with system settings.

prevents

Access rights assignment determines who may change system settings.

prevents

Privileged access rights reduce the number of users who can alter configuration.

finds

Testing against a defined set of requirements and using code review plus vulnerability scanning forces validation of inputs and handling of unanticipated conditions, reducing the chance that malformed data will be accepted.

prevents

Information access restriction limits who can view or modify configuration data.

prevents

Change management enforces controlled, authorized modifications to settings.

Hardening callouts derived

Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

RHEL 8 (1 rule)
  • V-230265 RHEL 8 must prevent the installation of software, patches, service packs, device drivers, or operating system components of local packages without verification they have been digitally signed using a certificate that is issued by a Certificate Authority (CA) that is recognized and approved by the organization. prevents CWE-20

References