# CVE-2026-42403: Apache Neethi does not properly detect circular references in policy definitions.

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-42403-apache-neethi-does-not-properly-detect-circular-references-in  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-05-01  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-42403 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.5 · Published 2026-05-01

Apache Neethi does not properly detect circular references in policy definitions. When a WS-Policy document contains circular policy references (where Policy A references Policy B which references Policy A), the policy normalization process can enter an infinite loop or cause excessive recursion, leading to a stack overflow or application hang. An attacker can craft malicious policy documents with circular references to cause a Denial of Service condition

Users are recommended to upgrade to version 3.2.2, which fixes this issue.

Technologies: [Apache Neethi](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/apache-neethi), [org.apache.neethi:neethi (Maven)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/org-apache-neethi-neethi). Vendors: [Apache](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/apache), [Maven](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/maven).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-42403 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-42403 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-42403?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 1 May 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** org.apache.neethi:neethi (Maven) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=3.2.2.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-42403?** Yes. org.apache.neethi:neethi (Maven): upgrade to 3.2.2 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-42403?** Check whether you run Apache Neethi or org.apache.neethi:neethi (Maven) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- org.apache.neethi:neethi (Maven): upgrade to 3.2.2 or later

  ```sh
  # set org.apache.neethi:neethi to 3.2.2 in your pom.xml or build.gradle
  ```


## Affected products

- Apache Neethi
- org.apache.neethi:neethi (Maven) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=3.2.2

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-42403
- GHSA-2hfh-9h53-qc24

## Related threats

- [Neethi remote policy fetch thread exhaustion](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-91867-when-neethi-fetches-a-remote-policy-reference-it-only-limits-the)
- [Apache Neethi policy intersection exponential complexity denial of service](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-91866-a-specially-crafted-pair-of-ws-policy-documents-can-force-neethi)
- [Apache Neethi exponential policy expansion denial of service](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-91865-a-small-ws-policy-document-using-repeated-policy-references-can)
- [Apache Neethi heap exhaustion in WS-Policy processing](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-91864-a-specially-crafted-ws-policy-document-can-pack-unlimited-content)
- [Apache Neethi stack exhaustion via deeply nested WS-Policy elements](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-91863-a-specially-crafted-ws-policy-document-with-deeply-nested-policy)