CVE-2026-34481: Apache Log4j JSON Template Layout: Improper serialization of non-finite floating-point values in JsonTemplateLayout

Severity: high (CVSS 7.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.7% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-04-10 · updated 2026-10-26
Weakness: CWE-116

Description

Apache Log4j's JsonTemplateLayout https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/manual/json-template-layout.html , in versions up to and including 2.25.3, produces invalid JSON output when log events contain non-finite floating-point values (NaN, Infinity, or -Infinity), which are prohibited by RFC 8259. This may cause downstream log processing systems to reject or fail to index affected records. An attacker can exploit this issue only if both of the following conditions are met: * The application uses JsonTemplateLayout. * The application logs a MapMessage, or logs an object directly (e.g., via Logger.info(Object), which wraps it in an ObjectMessage), where the message contains an attacker-controlled floating-point value. Users are advised to upgrade to Apache Log4j JSON Template Layout 2.25.4, which corrects this issue. Note: The fix released in version 2.25.4 did not cover all affected code paths. CVE-2026-49844 was assigned to the remaining issue, which concerns the MapMessage.asJson() serialization in Apache Log4j API and is fixed in versions 2.25.5 and 2.26.1.

Affected products

Apache Log4j: from 2.14.0 before 2.25.4; 3.0.0-alpha1, 3.0.0-alpha1_rc1, 3.0.0-alpha1_rc2, 3.0.0-beta1, 3.0.0-beta2, 3.0.0-beta3 — fixed in 2.25.4

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Apache Log4j 2.25.4. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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