CVE-2026-40998
HIGHDescription
Jaxp13XPathTemplate evaluated XPath expressions for StreamSource and SAXSource inputs using a code path that parsed attacker-controlled XML with the JDK's default DocumentBuilderFactory behavior instead of Spring's hardened parser configuration. Applications that evaluate XPath against untrusted XML payloads could therefore be exposed to XML External Entity (XXE) style attacks. 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.
How to fix
No published remediation has been found for this vulnerability's affected products yet.
Mitigation guidance may be in the linked vendor advisories in the References section below.
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CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 28% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-611 (XML External Entity (XXE)) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2024-34102 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2019-9670 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2022-28219 | Critical | 9.8 | 97% | - | - |
| CVE-2024-22024 | High | 8.3 | 95% | - | - |
| CVE-2024-38653 | High | 7.5 | 92% | - | - |
| CVE-2017-12629 | Critical | 9.8 | 92% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2026-40998?
No published fix for CVE-2026-40998 has been found yet. Check the linked vendor advisories for guidance as it becomes available.
Is CVE-2026-40998 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2026-40998 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 0.35% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 28% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2026-40998?
CVE-2026-40998 has a CVSS v3 base score of 8.2, rated high. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-07-23.