What is CVE-2026-84939?

CVE-2026-84939 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in org.freemarker:freemarker (maven), affecting versions >= 2.2.0, <= 2.3.34. It is fixed in 2.3.35.

How severe is CVE-2026-84939?

CVE-2026-84939 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (Critical). 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.freemarker:freemarker are affected by CVE-2026-84939?

org.freemarker:freemarker (maven) versions >= 2.2.0, <= 2.3.34 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-84939?

Yes. CVE-2026-84939 is fixed in 2.3.35. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2026-84939 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2026-84939 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.

What actually determines whether CVE-2026-84939 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.

CVE-2026-84939 in org.freemarker:freemarker

Q: How severe is CVE-2026-84939?

CVE-2026-84939 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (Critical). 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.

Q: Which versions of org.freemarker:freemarker are affected by CVE-2026-84939?

org.freemarker:freemarker (maven) versions >= 2.2.0, <= 2.3.34 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2026-84939?

Yes. CVE-2026-84939 is fixed in 2.3.35. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2026-84939 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2026-84939 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.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2026-84939 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.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2026-84939?

Upgrade org.freemarker:freemarker to 2.3.35 or later.

Summary

Apache FreeMarker template loading mechanism vulnerable to path traversal

Path traversal vulnerability in Apache FreeMarker template loading mechanism, if the attacker can specify an arbitrary malformed locale identifier to FreeMarker, and the localized lookup configuration setting is enabled (it's by default enabled).

This issue affects Apache FreeMarker from 2.2.0 through 2.3.34.

Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.3.35. Disabling localized lookup in previous versions also mitigates this.

Note that even in versions affected by this vulnerability, the files that can be loaded remain restricted by the TemplateLoader that FreeMarker is configured to use. In particular, FileTemplateLoader prevents attempts to traverse outside the baseDir specified in its constructor. Other TemplateLoader implementations may allow access outside their designated base directory, but they are still constrained by the underlying storage mechanism, for example, a loader wrapping a Java class loader can only access resources that the class loader can load, while one wrapping a web application context can only access resources available through that context.

Impact

CVE-2026-84939 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (Critical). 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 (2.3.35); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

org.freemarker:freemarker (>= 2.2.0, <= 2.3.34)

Security releases

org.freemarker:freemarker → 2.3.35 (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 org.freemarker:freemarker to 2.3.35 or later to resolve this vulnerability.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-84939? CVE-2026-84939 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in org.freemarker:freemarker (maven), affecting versions >= 2.2.0, <= 2.3.34. It is fixed in 2.3.35.
How severe is CVE-2026-84939? CVE-2026-84939 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (Critical). 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.freemarker:freemarker are affected by CVE-2026-84939? org.freemarker:freemarker (maven) versions >= 2.2.0, <= 2.3.34 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-84939? Yes. CVE-2026-84939 is fixed in 2.3.35. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2026-84939 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-84939 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-2026-84939 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-2026-84939? Upgrade org.freemarker:freemarker to 2.3.35 or later.