Is CVE-2026-89238 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-89238 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2026-89238?

Informational severity, published 30 September 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

Apache WSS4J before 2.4.4, before 3.0.6, before 4.0.2.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-89238?

No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

How is CVE-2026-89238 attacked?

It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

Am I affected by CVE-2026-89238?

Check whether you run Apache WSS4J 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.

CVE-2026-89238: Apache WSS4J EncryptedHeader child confusion element promotion

CVE-2026-89238 · Severity: info · Published 2026-09-30

Apache WSS4J is a library that handles security processing for SOAP web services. A vulnerability allows an attacker to replace an encrypted header with an attacker-controlled plaintext element, bypassing message confidentiality protections and potentially circumventing security policies that depend on encryption.

Technologies: Apache WSS4J. Vendors: Apache.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-89238 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-89238 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-89238?: Informational severity, published 30 September 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: Apache WSS4J before 2.4.4, before 3.0.6, before 4.0.2.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-89238?: No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.
How is CVE-2026-89238 attacked?: It is attacked over the network, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-89238?: Check whether you run Apache WSS4J 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.

Technical details

The vulnerability exists in WSS4J's EncryptedHeader processing logic, where child element confusion permits promotion of an attacker-controlled plaintext element to take the place of the decrypted header. This breaks confidentiality guarantees and can lead to policy bypass. The vulnerability is present in versions prior to 2.4.4, 3.0.6, and 4.0.2.

Affected products

Apache WSS4J before 2.4.4, before 3.0.6, before 4.0.2

Timeline

2026-09-30: disclosed

References

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