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CVE-2026-54225: Apache CXF: Denial of Service attack via large attachments

• 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: 2026-08-06 · updated 2026-10-24
• Weakness: CWE-770

Description

Apache CXF allows to control the maximum attachment size via the "attachment-max-size". Prior to Apache CXF 4.2.3 and 4.1.8 and 3.6.12, there was no default placed on this size, meaning that a denial of service attack is possible if the user doesn't explicitly set the limit. Users should update to Apache CXF 4.2.3 or 4.1.8 or 3.6.12 which fixes this problem by imposing a default attachment size limit of 50mb.

Affected products

• Apache Software Foundation Apache CXF: before 3.6.12; from 4.0.0 before 4.1.8; from 4.2.0 before 4.2.3 — fixed in 3.6.12, 4.1.8, 4.2.3

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Apache Software Foundation Apache CXF 3.6.12, 4.1.8, 4.2.3. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

• https://lists.apache.org/thread/h2bjqm6g58z0j6893qzh728kdtk1byfy
• http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/08/06/14

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