---
id: CVE-2026-97791
title: >-
  In Apache CXF, STSTokenValidator checks whether a SAML assertion is signed by
  a trusted certificate before deciding to send it to the STS
summary: >-
  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 r…
severity: high
cvss: 7.5
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'
cwe:
  - CWE-362
  - CWE-488
vendor: Apache Software Foundation
product: 'org.apache.cxf:cxf-rt-ws-security'
affected:
  - 'org.apache.cxf:cxf-rt-ws-security >= 4.2.0 < 4.2.4'
  - 'org.apache.cxf:cxf-rt-ws-security >= 4.0.0 < 4.1.9'
  - 'org.apache.cxf:cxf-rt-ws-security < 3.6.13'
published: '2026-10-09'
updated: '2026-10-15'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-15T18:17:30.833'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97791'
references:
  - url: 'https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ssdr417qgms9fjl0m8802xd8170wnk1l'
    label: security@apache.org
  - url: 'http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/10/09/10'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: >-
      https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-97791.json
  - url: 'https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-97791'
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2548455'
  - url: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97791'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97791'
tags:
  - nvd
  - cve.org
  - csaf
  - vex
  - red-hat
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'yes'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2026-10-15T17:30:59.230506Z'
epss: 0.00305
epssPercentile: 0.23177
scores:
  nvd: 7.5
  vendor: 7.4
ingestedAt: '2026-10-09T12:53:29.302Z'
---

## Overview

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.

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.

## Vendor advisories

- **Red Hat VEX** · Important · affected: Red Hat build of Apache Camel 4 for Quarkus 3, Red Hat build of Apache Camel for Spring Boot 4, Red Hat Fuse 7, Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 7, Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 8, Red Hat Single Sign-On 7 · no fix planned: Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 7, Red Hat Single Sign-On 7, Red Hat build of Apache Camel 4 for Quarkus 3, Red Hat build of Apache Camel for Spring Boot 4, … · updated 2026-10-16 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-97791.json)