CVE-2026-43867 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in org.apache.camel:camel-pqc. A fix is available for org.apache.camel:camel-pqc — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Apache Camel: Camel-PQC: The AWS Secrets Manager key-lifecycle manager deserializes persisted key metadata with java.io.ObjectInputStream and no ObjectInputFilter
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-43867.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2026-43867 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,386 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.camel:camel-pqc☕org.apache.camel:camel-pqcReal-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
Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in Apache Camel PQC Component.
The camel-pqc component persists post-quantum key metadata (KeyMetadata) through pluggable KeyLifecycleManager implementations. AwsSecretsManagerKeyLifecycleManager.deserializeMetadata() reads that metadata back from the configured AWS Secrets Manager secret by Base64-decoding the stored value and deserializing it with a raw java.io.ObjectInputStream.readObject() and no ObjectInputFilter or class allow-list; the cast to KeyMetadata happens only after readObject() returns, so any readObject() side effects in a crafted object run before the type check. A principal who can write to the AWS Secrets Manager secret that holds this metadata (requiring secretsmanager:PutSecretValue on that secret) could store a crafted serialized object that is deserialized during normal key-lifecycle operations, potentially leading to code execution in the context of the application that manages the keys. This is the same underlying defect, in the same code path and remediated by the same fix, as CVE-2026-46590, which was reported independently and additionally covers the HashiCorp Vault and file-based sibling managers; both are incomplete-remediation follow-ons to CVE-2026-40048 (CAMEL-23200). This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.18.0 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 4.18.x LTS releases stream, then they are suggested to upgrade to 4.18.3. For deployments that cannot upgrade immediately, restrict write access to the AWS Secrets Manager secret that holds the camel-pqc key metadata so that only the application’s own identity holds secretsmanager:PutSecretValue on it (least-privilege IAM), and keep the PQC key material in a secret separate from any data that less-trusted principals can write.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.camel:camel-pqc | ≥ 4.18.0&&< 4.18.3 | 4.18.3org.apache.camel:camel-pqc:4.18.3 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.camel:camel-pqc | ≥ 4.19.0&&< 4.21.0 | 4.21.0org.apache.camel:camel-pqc:4.21.0 |
Affected Products
camelapacheDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.camel:camel-pqc, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.camel:camel-pqc to 4.18.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-43867 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Do not deserialise data from untrusted sources: where the format allows it, restrict deserialisation to an explicit allowlist of expected types, and prefer a data-only format (JSON, Protobuf) over one that can reconstruct arbitrary objects until you can upgrade.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-43867 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.