CVE-2026-89238
Received Received - Intake

WSS4J Header Confusion Leading to Policy Bypass

Publication date: 2026-09-30

Last updated on: 2026-09-30

Assigner: Apache Software Foundation

Description
WSS4J EncryptedHeader child confusion could promote an attacker-controlled plaintext element as the decrypted header, leading to incorrect confidentiality coverage and possible policy bypass. Users are recommended to upgrade to versions 4.0.2 or 3.0.6 or 2.4.4, which fix this issue.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-30
Last Modified
2026-09-30
Generated
2026-09-30
AI Q&A
2026-09-30
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-89238
EUVD
EUVD-2026-89794

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 3 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
apache wss4j 4.0.2
apache wss4j 3.0.6
apache wss4j 2.4.4

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability involves a confusion in the WSS4J EncryptedHeader where an attacker can manipulate a plaintext element to appear as the decrypted header. This could lead to incorrect confidentiality coverage and potentially bypass security policies.

Detection Guidance

Detection involves checking for affected WSS4J versions. Use commands like 'find / -name wss4j*.jar' to locate WSS4J libraries. Verify versions with 'java -jar wss4j*.jar --version' or inspect pom.xml for version numbers.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to trick systems into treating unprotected data as secure, potentially exposing sensitive information or bypassing access controls. Systems using vulnerable WSS4J versions are at risk.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized data exposure, violating confidentiality requirements in GDPR and HIPAA. Non-compliance risks include legal penalties and reputational damage.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade WSS4J to version 4.0.2, 3.0.6, or 2.4.4 immediately. Replace vulnerable libraries in your application dependencies or runtime environment.

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