Summary
Apache Camel-Dapr: The Dapr Pub/Sub consumer copied the inbound CloudEvent's pub/sub-name and topic into producer-direction routing headers
Improper Input Validation, Unintended Proxy or Intermediary ('Confused Deputy') vulnerability in Apache Camel DAPR component.
The camel-dapr Dapr Pub/Sub consumer (DaprPubSubConsumer) copied two fields from each inbound CloudEvent - its Pub/Sub component name and its topic - into the CamelDaprPubSubName and CamelDaprTopic Exchange headers. These two headers are producer-direction routing headers: when the route republishes through a Dapr producer, DaprConfigurationOptionsProxy reads them back and prefers them over the destination configured on the endpoint. As a result, in a route that consumes from one Dapr Pub/Sub topic and republishes to another (for example from('dapr-pubsub:p:t').to('dapr-pubsub:p:other')), an actor able to publish a message to the subscribed topic could set the CloudEvent's pub/sub-name and topic to values of their choosing and cause the re-published message to be delivered to an arbitrary Dapr Pub/Sub component and topic instead of the configured destination - redirecting or exfiltrating the message and bypassing the route's intended routing and any topic-level access controls in the underlying broker. Exploitation requires the ability to publish to the topic the route subscribes to; no other authentication or user interaction is needed.
This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.12.0 before 4.14.8, from 4.15.0 before 4.18.3, from 4.19.0 before 4.21.0.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.21.0, which fixes the issue. If users are on the 4.14.x LTS releases stream, then they are suggested to upgrade to 4.14.8. If users are on the 4.18.x releases stream, then they are suggested to upgrade to 4.18.3. For deployments that cannot upgrade immediately, remove the CamelDaprPubSubName and CamelDaprTopic headers from the Exchange between the Dapr consumer and any Dapr producer in the route (for example removeHeaders('CamelDaprPubSubName', 'CamelDaprTopic')), and restrict who can publish to the subscribed Dapr Pub/Sub topic so that only trusted producers can send to it.
Impact
The application does not adequately validate input before processing it, allowing unexpected values to reach sensitive code paths. Typical impact: varies by context: data corruption, logic bypass, or denial of service.
CVE-2026-49086 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). 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 (4.14.8, 4.18.3, 4.21.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
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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org.apache.camel:camel-dapr to 4.14.8 or later; org.apache.camel:camel-dapr to 4.18.3 or later; org.apache.camel:camel-dapr to 4.21.0 or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-49086? CVE-2026-49086 is a medium-severity improper input validation vulnerability in org.apache.camel:camel-dapr (maven), affecting versions >= 4.12.0, < 4.14.8. It is fixed in 4.14.8, 4.18.3, 4.21.0. The application does not adequately validate input before processing it, allowing unexpected values to reach sensitive code paths.
- How severe is CVE-2026-49086? CVE-2026-49086 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). 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.
- Which versions of org.apache.camel:camel-dapr are affected by CVE-2026-49086? org.apache.camel:camel-dapr (maven) versions >= 4.12.0, < 4.14.8 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-49086? Yes. CVE-2026-49086 is fixed in 4.14.8, 4.18.3, 4.21.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-49086 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-49086 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
- What actually determines whether CVE-2026-49086 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.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-49086?
- Upgrade
org.apache.camel:camel-daprto 4.14.8 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.camel:camel-daprto 4.18.3 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.camel:camel-daprto 4.21.0 or later
- Upgrade