Critical severity · published Oct 9, 2026
CVE-2026-97468
Apache CXF: Authentication bypass via weak cache keys for validated STS tokens
9.1
CVSS
0.2%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
Apache CXF's STSTokenValidator and Security Token Service (STS) cached validated security tokens under a non-cryptographic 32-bit hash of the token (Java Arrays.hashCode/hashCode()), and treated a cache hit as proof that the presented token had already been validated. An attacker could craft a token (for example a UsernameToken or a self-signed SAML Assertion) whose hash collides with a cached entry. The token would then be accepted without password validation, signature trust verification or a call to the STS. This could let the attacker authenticate as another user and, through STS token validation or renewal, obtain STS-signed tokens for that identity.
Users are recommended to upgrade to versions 4.2.4 or 4.1.9 or 3.6.13, which fix this issue.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.2% · higher than 13% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
AC
Apache CXF · Apache Software Foundation
4.2.0 before 4.2.4; 4.0.0 before 4.1.9; before 3.6.13 · source: vendor
CX
Cxf · Apache
before 3.6.13; 4.0.0 before 4.1.9; 4.2.0 before 4.2.4 · source: NVD
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97468
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97468
vendor-advisory
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/qthbnsyhqsxhl9p2h9v5dg4mnwv1b9r6
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