CVE-2026-85250
Published:October 19, 2026
Updated:October 20, 2026
Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference vulnerability in Apache Camel XPath component.
This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.0.0 before 4.18.5, from 4.19.0 before 4.22.1.
With documentType set to InputSource, XPathBuilder handed the payload straight to javax.xml.xpath, which builds a DocumentBuilder of its own using the JDK defaults. The hardening applied to Camel's default document type was therefore bypassed: a DOCTYPE declaration that is refused on the default type was accepted here, and the external entity it declared was resolved and expanded into the evaluated document. An external sender whose XML reaches such an expression could read files readable by the Camel process and cause the process to issue requests to hosts it names. The two document types disagreeing on parser configuration is what made this reachable, since a deployment choosing InputSource for streaming reasons had no indication it was also choosing a weaker parser.
Upgrade to Apache Camel 4.23.0, which fixes the issue. Users on the 4.18.x LTS releases stream should upgrade to 4.18.5. Users on the 4.22.x LTS releases stream should upgrade to 4.22.1. The InputSource document type now goes through the same hardened parser as the default type, so a DOCTYPE is refused. Note that it also shares that type's documented escape hatch: the same DocumentBuilderFactory system properties that relax the default type relax this one, so a deployment that has set them remains unprotected by design. For deployments that cannot upgrade immediately, do not use documentType=InputSource on expressions evaluated over untrusted XML; the default document type already refuses a DOCTYPE.
Affected Packages
https://github.com/apache/camel.git (GITHUB):
Affected version(s) >=camel-4.19.0 <camel-4.22.1Fix Suggestion:
Update to version camel-4.22.1https://github.com/apache/camel.git (GITHUB):
Affected version(s) >=camel-4.15.0 <camel-4.18.5Fix Suggestion:
Update to version camel-4.18.5org.apache.camel:camel-xpath (JAVA):
Affected version(s) >=4.19.0 <4.22.1Fix Suggestion:
Update to version 4.22.1org.apache.camel:camel-xpath (JAVA):
Affected version(s) >=4.15.0 <4.18.5Fix Suggestion:
Update to version 4.18.5Related Resources (6)
Do you need more information?
Contact UsCVSS v4
Base Score:
8.7
Attack Vector
NETWORK
Attack Complexity
LOW
Attack Requirements
NONE
Privileges Required
NONE
User Interaction
NONE
Vulnerable System Confidentiality
HIGH
Vulnerable System Integrity
NONE
Vulnerable System Availability
NONE
Subsequent System Confidentiality
NONE
Subsequent System Integrity
NONE
Subsequent System Availability
NONE
CVSS v3
Base Score:
7.5
Attack Vector
NETWORK
Attack Complexity
LOW
Privileges Required
NONE
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
HIGH
Integrity
NONE
Availability
NONE
Weakness Type (CWE)
Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference
EPSS
Base Score:
0.54