Apache CXF: Authentication Bypass by Alternate Name
CVE-2026-50627 is a critical-severity authentication bypass by alternate name vulnerability in Apache CXF from Apache, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.1 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with administrator privileges, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 4.2.2, 4.1.7, 3.6.12 as the first without the flaw, so updating Apache CXF to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 4.12% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is in the top 9.04% of all scored CVEs.
Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.
What to do
- Update Apache CXF to 4.2.2 or 4.1.7 or 3.6.12, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Cxf to 3.6.12 or 4.1.7 or 4.2.2, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Build Of Apache Camel to 4.18.1 or a later version.
- Read the advisory on lists.apache.org for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apache | Apache CXF | 4.2.0 up to, but not including, 4.2.2; 4.0.0 up to, but not including, 4.1.7; before 3.6.12 | 4.2.2, 4.1.7, 3.6.12 |
| Red Hat | Red Hat build of Apache Camel 4.18.1.P1 for Spring Boot 3.5.16 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Fuse 7 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform Expansion Pack | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat JBoss Web Server 5 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Apache | Cxf | before 3.6.12; 4.0.0 up to, but not including, 4.1.7; 4.2.0 up to, but not including, 4.2.2 | 3.6.12, 4.1.7, 4.2.2 |
| Red Hat | Build Of Apache Camel | before 4.18.1; 4.18.1 | 4.18.1 |
| Red Hat | Fuse | 7.0.0 | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Jboss Web Server | 5.0 | Not stated |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- HighAdministrator-level access is required first.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.1 | Critical | NVD |
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.1 | Critical | CISA (ADP) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 8.1 | High | CNA |
Official description
The JwtAccessTokenValidator class in Apache CXF fails to validate the 'aud' (Audience) claims of incoming JWT access tokens. This allows a JWT issued for one Resource Server to be successfully replayed against a completely different Resource Server, leading to Token Confusion/Routing attacks. Users are recommended to upgrade to versions 4.2.2 or 4.1.7 or 3.6.12, which fixes this issue.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Authentication Bypass by Alternate Name
The product performs authentication based on the name of a resource being accessed, or the name of the actor performing the access, but it does not properly check all possible names for that resource or actor.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Avoid making decisions based on names of resources (e.g. files) if those resources can have alternate names.
- Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174). Such errors could be used to bypass allowlist validation schemes by introducing dangerous inputs after they have been checked.
More Authentication Bypass by Alternate Name vulnerabilities (CWE-289)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Third-party and government advisories
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/06/11/4Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:37390Third Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-50627Third Party Advisory
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2488298Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
- security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-50627.jsonThird Party Advisory
Other vulnerabilities in Apache CXF
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
Recent Authentication Bypass by Alternate Name vulnerabilities
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.6 Critical severity
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