Apache Neethi Recursion DoS via Circular Policy (<3.2.2)
CVE-2026-42403 Published on May 1, 2026
Apache Neethi: Circular Policy Reference Infinite Loop
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.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-42403 can be exploited 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 no impact on confidentiality and integrity, and a high impact on availability.
Weakness Type
What is a Resource Exhaustion Vulnerability?
The software does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource, thereby enabling an actor to influence the amount of resources consumed, eventually leading to the exhaustion of available resources.
CVE-2026-42403 has been classified to as a Resource Exhaustion vulnerability or weakness.
Affected Versions
Apache Software Foundation Apache Neethi:- Before 3.2.2 is affected.