{"id":"CVE-2026-97791","published":"2026-10-09T11:17:03.380","lastModified":"2026-10-15T18:17:30.833","description":"In Apache CXF, STSTokenValidator checks whether a SAML assertion is signed by a trusted certificate before deciding to send it to the STS. That result was stored in one object shared by all requests, so one request could read another's result. A remote, unauthenticated attacker could send a forged assertion signed with an untrusted certificate while legitimate requests were being processed, and it could be accepted as trusted without ever reaching the STS. Only services that use STSTokenValidator to validate SAML tokens without alwaysValidateToSts set are affected. \nUsers are recommended to upgrade to versions 4.2.4 or 4.1.9 or 3.6.13, which fix this issue.","cvssScore":7.5,"cvssSeverity":"HIGH","cvssVector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","cwes":["CWE-362"],"vendors":[],"products":[],"references":[{"url":"https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ssdr417qgms9fjl0m8802xd8170wnk1l","tags":[]},{"url":"http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/10/09/10","tags":[]}],"exploitRefs":[],"hasPoc":false,"ai":{"summary":"The flaw is a race condition in Apache CXF's STSTokenValidator where shared state between concurrent requests allows one request to incorrectly validate a forged SAML assertion as trusted, potentially bypassing security controls. This affects services using SAML token validation without alwaysValidateToSts set.","exploitability":"Exploitation is relatively straightforward for unauthenticated remote attackers who can submit forged SAML assertions signed with untrusted certificates while legitimate requests are being processed, requiring no authentication or special privileges.","blast_radius":"The impact could be significant across all services using affected Apache CXF versions with STS token validation, potentially allowing unauthorized access to protected resources by accepting forged tokens without proper validation.","remediation":"Upgrade to Apache CXF versions 4.2.4, 4.1.9, or 3.6.13 which contain the fix for this race condition in STSTokenValidator.","detection":"No reliable host or network indicator is derivable from the published description.","tags":["saml","sts","race-condition"],"model":"garnet-coder","analyzedAt":"2026-10-17T09:02:14.753Z"}}