CVE-2026-46456 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in org.apache.camel:camel-aws2-sqs. A fix is available for org.apache.camel:camel-aws2-sqs — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Apache Camel: Camel-AWS2-SQS: Inbound message attributes are mapped into the Exchange without an inbound HeaderFilterStrategy, allowing a message sender to inject Camel control headers
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-2026-46456.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2026-46456 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,987 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-aws2-sqs☕org.apache.camel:camel-aws2-sqs☕org.apache.camel:camel-aws2-sqsReal-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
Improper Input Validation vulnerability in Apache Camel AWS2-SQS Component.
The camel-aws2-sqs component map inbound message attributes into the Camel Exchange through a component-specific HeaderFilterStrategy. Sqs2HeaderFilterStrategy configured only an outbound filter (setOutFilterPattern, which blocks Camel*, breadcrumbId and org.apache.camel.* headers being written to the broker) but did not configure an inbound filter. As a result, when Sqs2Consumer copies each SQS MessageAttribute into the Exchange via HeaderFilterStrategy.applyFilterToExternalHeaders, DefaultHeaderFilterStrategy applied no inbound rule and treated every header name as not filtered - including Camel-internal control headers such as CamelHttpUri, CamelFileName or CamelSqlQuery - copying them unmodified onto the Camel message. Any principal able to send messages to the consumed SQS queue (for example a cross-account sender or a lower-privileged in-account component holding sqs:SendMessage) could therefore set arbitrary Camel control headers that influence the behaviour of downstream producers in the route (for example redirecting an HTTP producer, changing a file name, or overriding a query); the injected headers also persist across internal direct, seda and vm hops. The concrete downstream impact depends on which producers the route uses.
This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.0.0 before 4.14.8, from 4.15.0 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 4.14.x LTS releases stream, then they are suggested to upgrade to 4.14.8. If users are on the 4.18.x releases stream, then they are suggested to upgrade to 4.18.3. The fix adds an inbound HeaderFilterStrategy rule to Sqs2HeaderFilterStrategy that filters the Camel header namespace case-insensitively on inbound mapping, so sender-supplied Camel* / camel* headers are no longer copied into the Exchange. For deployments that cannot upgrade immediately, strip the Camel control headers from inbound messages before they reach any downstream producer (for example removeHeaders('Camel*') and removeHeaders('camel*') at the start of the route), and restrict who may send to the consumed SQS queue by applying least-privilege sqs:SendMessage permissions on the queue resource policy.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.camel:camel-aws2-sqs | ≥ 4.0.0&&< 4.14.8 | 4.14.8org.apache.camel:camel-aws2-sqs:4.14.8 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.camel:camel-aws2-sqs | ≥ 4.15.0&&< 4.18.3 | 4.18.3org.apache.camel:camel-aws2-sqs:4.18.3 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.camel:camel-aws2-sqs | ≥ 4.19.0&&< 4.21.0 | 4.21.0org.apache.camel:camel-aws2-sqs: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-aws2-sqs, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.camel:camel-aws2-sqs to 4.14.8 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-46456 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.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
This is a Critical improper input validation vulnerability in the `camel-aws2-sqs` component of Red Hat build of Apache Camel. A remote attacker with `sqs:SendMessage` permissions to a consumed SQS queue can inject arbitrary Camel control headers into the message exchange. This allows for manipulation of downstream…
To mitigate this issue, configure your Camel routes to strip Camel control headers from inbound messages before they reach any downstream producer. Additionally, restrict who can send messages to the consumed SQS queue by applying least-privilege `sqs:SendMessage` permissions on the queue resource policy. For example, add `removeHeaders('Camel*')` and `removeHeaders('camel*')` at the start of the route. Ensure that any changes to route configurations are properly deployed and services are reloaded or restarted if necessary for the changes to take effect.Source: Red Hat security advisory for CVE-2026-46456 (CC BY 4.0)
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat build of Apache Camel 4.18.4 for Spring Boot 3.5.16 | camel | RHSA-2026:71675 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-46456 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.