Spring WS 3.15.0 XXE via XpathTemplate & default JDK XML Parser
CVE-2026-40998 Published on June 11, 2026
Jaxp13 XPath XXE via StreamSource and SAXSource
Jaxp13XPathTemplate evaluated XPath expressions for StreamSource and SAXSource inputs using a code path that parsed attacker-controlled XML with the JDK's default DocumentBuilderFactory behavior instead of Spring's hardened parser configuration. Applications that evaluate XPath against untrusted XML payloads could therefore be exposed to XML External Entity (XXE) style attacks.
Affected versions:
Spring Web Services 5.0.0 through 5.0.1; 4.1.0 through 4.1.3; 4.0.0 through 4.0.18; 3.1.0 through 3.1.8.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-40998 is exploitable with network access, and does not require authorization privileges or user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have a high impact on confidentiality, with no impact on integrity, and no impact on availability.
Weakness Type
What is a XXE Vulnerability?
The software processes an XML document that can contain XML entities with URIs that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output.
CVE-2026-40998 has been classified to as a XXE vulnerability or weakness.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-40998
Want to know whenever a new CVE is published for VMware Spring Framework? stack.watch will email you.
Affected Versions
Spring Web Services:- Version 5.0.0 and below 5.0.2 is affected.
- Version 4.1.0 and below 4.1.4 is affected.
- Version 4.0.0 and below 4.0.19 is affected.
- Version 3.1.0 and below 3.1.9 is affected.
Exploit Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.