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CVE-2026-97791

Status: Undergoing AnalysisUnscored—

In Apache CXF, STSTokenValidator checks whether a SAML assertion is signed by a trusted certificate before deciding to send it to the STS. That result was stored in one object shared by all requests, so one request could read another's result. A remote, unauthenticated attacker could send a forged assertion signed with an untrusted certificate while legitimate requests were being processed, and it could be accepted as trusted without ever reaching the STS. Only services that use STSTokenValidator to validate SAML tokens without alwaysValidateToSts set are affected.  Users are recommended to upgrade to versions 4.2.4 or 4.1.9 or 3.6.13, which fix this issue.

CVSS

NVD hasn't assigned a CVSS score to this CVE (common since the April 2026 policy change).

Exploitation probability (EPSS)

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST) estimates how likely a vulnerability is to be exploited in the wild within 30 days. It complements CVSS (impact) and CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).

Affected technologies (1)

⚠ AI-inferred from the description — NVD hasn't analyzed this CVE yet, these aren't verified CPEs.

Apache — CXFAI

References

Raw JSON (NVD)

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{
  "id": "CVE-2026-97791",
  "cveTags": [],
  "metrics": {},
  "affected": [
    {
      "source": "security@apache.org",
      "affectedData": [
        {
          "vendor": "Apache Software Foundation",
          "product": "Apache CXF",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "4.2.0",
              "lessThan": "4.2.4",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "4.0.0",
              "lessThan": "4.1.9",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "0",
              "lessThan": "3.6.13",
              "versionType": "semver"
            }
          ],
          "packageURL": "pkg:maven/org.apache.cxf/cxf-rt-ws-security",
          "packageName": "org.apache.cxf:cxf-rt-ws-security",
          "collectionURL": "https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2",
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "published": "2026-10-09T11:17:03.380",
  "references": [
    {
      "url": "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ssdr417qgms9fjl0m8802xd8170wnk1l",
      "source": "security@apache.org"
    },
    {
      "url": "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/10/09/10",
      "source": "af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108"
    }
  ],
  "vulnStatus": "Undergoing Analysis",
  "descriptions": [
    {
      "lang": "en",
      "value": "In Apache CXF, STSTokenValidator checks whether a SAML assertion is signed by a trusted certificate before deciding to send it to the STS. That result was stored in one object shared by all requests, so one request could read another's result. A remote, unauthenticated attacker could send a forged assertion signed with an untrusted certificate while legitimate requests were being processed, and it could be accepted as trusted without ever reaching the STS. Only services that use STSTokenValidator to validate SAML tokens without alwaysValidateToSts set are affected. \nUsers are recommended to upgrade to versions 4.2.4 or 4.1.9 or 3.6.13, which fix this issue."
    }
  ],
  "lastModified": "2026-10-09T16:33:39.007",
  "sourceIdentifier": "security@apache.org"
}