CVE-2026-40994
HIGHCVE-2026-40994 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.2) CWE-1188 vulnerability in org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2026-40994 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Spring Web Services: Wss4jSecurityInterceptor disables WS-I BSP validation by default
Real-World Exposure
org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security☕org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security☕org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security☕org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-securityReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
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.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security | ≥ 5.0.0&&< 5.0.2 | 5.0.2 |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security | ≥ 4.1.0&&< 4.1.4 | 4.1.4 |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security | ≥ 4.0.0 | No fix |
| ☕Maven | org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security | ≥ 3.1.0 | No fix |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update org.springframework.ws:spring-ws-security to 5.0.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-40994 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-40994 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2026-40994. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-40994 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2026-40994 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.