CVE-2026-40994

CVE-2026-40994 is a high-severity security vulnerability in org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security (maven), affecting versions >= 5.0.0, <= 5.0.1. It is fixed in 5.0.2, 4.1.4.

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Summary

Spring Web Services: Wss4jSecurityInterceptor disables WS-I BSP validation by default

Wss4jSecurityInterceptor initialized its BSP (WS-I Basic Security Profile) compliance flag so that inbound validation disabled WSS4J BSP enforcement on RequestData. Services that validate WS-Security on the network could therefore accept messages that violate BSP rules, weakening protocol-level checks.

Affected versions:
Spring Web Services 5.0.0 through 5.0.1; 4.1.0 through 4.1.3; 4.0.0 through 4.0.18; 3.1.0 through 3.1.8.

Impact

CVE-2026-40994 has a CVSS score of 8.2 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (5.0.2, 4.1.4); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security (>= 5.0.0, <= 5.0.1) org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security (>= 4.1.0, <= 4.1.3) org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security (>= 4.0.0, <= 4.0.18) org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security (>= 3.1.0, <= 3.1.8)

Security releases

org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security → 5.0.2 (maven) org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security → 4.1.4 (maven)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

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Remediation advice

Upgrade the following packages to resolve this vulnerability:

org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security to 5.0.2 or later; org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security to 4.1.4 or later

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is CVE-2026-40994? CVE-2026-40994 is a high-severity security vulnerability in org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security (maven), affecting versions >= 5.0.0, <= 5.0.1. It is fixed in 5.0.2, 4.1.4.
  2. How severe is CVE-2026-40994? CVE-2026-40994 has a CVSS score of 8.2 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
  3. Which versions of org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security are affected by CVE-2026-40994? org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security (maven) versions >= 5.0.0, <= 5.0.1 is affected.
  4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-40994? Yes. CVE-2026-40994 is fixed in 5.0.2, 4.1.4. Upgrade to this version or later.
  5. Is CVE-2026-40994 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-40994 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
  6. What actually determines whether CVE-2026-40994 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
  7. How do I fix CVE-2026-40994?
    • Upgrade org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security to 5.0.2 or later
    • Upgrade org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security to 4.1.4 or later

Other vulnerabilities in org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security

CVE-IDSeverityPackage summary
CVE-2026-40996Mediumorg.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security: Spring Web Services: Inbound WS-Security allows RSA PKCS#1 v1.5 key transport by defaultCVE-2026-40997Mediumorg.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security: Spring Web Services: SOAP security faults leak Spring Security account stateCVE-2026-41000Loworg.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security: Spring Web Services: WSS4J validation does not use configured replay cacheCVE-2026-40995Mediumorg.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security: Spring Web Services: X.509 authentication bypasses Spring Security account checks

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