CVE-2026-89238: Apache WSS4J: WSS4J EncryptedHeader child confusion causing wrong protected-header selection
Apache WSS4J EncryptedHeader parsing can accept attacker plaintext as the protected header (CVE-2026-89238).
Apache disclosed CVE-2026-89238, rated important, in the DOM implementation of Apache WSS4J. EncryptedHeader child confusion can promote an attacker-controlled plaintext element as the decrypted header, producing incorrect confidentiality coverage and the wrong protected-header selection. Affected packages are wss4j-ws-security-dom before 2.4.4, 3.0.0 before 3.0.6, and 4.0.0 before 4.0.2. No in-the-wild exploitation is stated.
- Important flaw in the WSS4J DOM EncryptedHeader parser.
- Child confusion can treat attacker plaintext as the decrypted header.
- That yields incorrect confidentiality coverage of protected headers.
- Patched in 2.4.4, 3.0.6, and 4.0.2; exploitation not reported.
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
- CVE-2026-892389.1—EncryptedHeader confusion in Apache WSS4J can bypass policypublished · Apache WSS4J
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-89238 | EncryptedHeader confusion in Apache WSS4J can bypass policy Apache WSS4J can confuse child elements of an EncryptedHeader and treat an attacker-controlled plaintext element as the decrypted header. That wrong selection means the library may apply confidentiality protection to the wrong content and can let a message pass policy checks that depend on the decrypted header. The issue affects applications and frameworks that use unfixed WSS4J for WS-Security message protection. Apache recommends upgrading to 4.0.2, 3.0.6, or 2.4.4, which contain the fix. There is no known public proof of concept, the flaw is not listed in CISA KEV, and exploitation in the wild is not known. Do: Upgrade Apache WSS4J to 4.0.2, 3.0.6, or 2.4.4, matching the release line you already use. After the upgrade, confirm the patched library is what actually processes WS-Security messages and recheck policies that treat EncryptedHeader as proof of confidentiality coverage. |
Posted by Colm O hEigeartaigh on Sep 30 Severity: important Affected versions: - Apache WSS4J (org.apache.wss4j:wss4j-ws-security-dom) 4.0.0 before 4.0.2 - Apache WSS4J (org.apache.wss4j:wss4j-ws-security-dom) 3.0.0 before 3.0.6 - Apache WSS4J (org.apache.wss4j:wss4j-ws-security-dom) before 2.4.4 Description: WSS4J EncryptedHeader child confusion could promote an attacker-controlled plaintext element as the decrypted header, leading to incorrect confidentiality coverage and...
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