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CamelApplication · Apache

CVE-2026-40453

CRITICAL · 9.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.14.6 / 4.18.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The fix for CVE-2025-27636 added setLowerCase(true) to HttpHeaderFilterStrategy so that case-variant header names such as 'CAmelExecCommandExecutable' are filtered out alongside 'CamelExecCommandExecutable'. The same setLowerCase(true) call was not applied to five non-HTTP HeaderFilterStrategy implementations: JmsHeaderFilterStrategy and ClassicJmsHeaderFilterStrategy in camel-jms, SjmsHeaderFilterStrategy in camel-sjms, CoAPHeaderFilterStrategy in camel-coap, and GooglePubsubHeaderFilterStrategy in camel-google-pubsub. Because those strategies use case-sensitive String.startsWith('Camel'/'camel') filtering while the Camel Exchange stores headers in a case-insensitive map, an attacker with JMS (or equivalent) producer access to the broker consumed by a Camel route can inject case-variant Camel internal headers, which are then resolved by downstream components such as camel-exec and camel-file using their canonical casing. This enables remote code execution and arbitrary file write on routes that forward JMS messages to header-driven components. This issue affects Apache Camel: from 3.0.0 before 4.14.6, from 4.15.0 before 4.18.2, from 4.19.0 before 4.20.0. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.20.0, which fixes the issue. If users are on the 4.14.x LTS releases stream, then they are suggested to upgrade to 4.14.6. If users are on the 4.18.x releases stream, then they are suggested to upgrade to 4.18.2.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

This is a case-sensitivity bypass in Apache Camel's HeaderFilterStrategy implementations. Five non-HTTP strategies (JmsHeaderFilterStrategy, ClassicJmsHeaderFilterStrategy, SjmsHeaderFilterStrategy, CoAPHeaderFilterStrategy, GooglePubsubHeaderFilterStrategy) use case-sensitive filtering while the Camel Exchange stores headers in a case-insensitive map. Attackers can inject case-variant internal headers (e.g., 'cAmelExecCommandExecutable') that bypass filtering but resolve to canonical forms, enabling RCE via camel-exec and arbitrary file write via camel-file.

MitigationUpgrade to Apache Camel 4.20.0 (or 4.14.6 for 4.14.x LTS, 4.18.2 for 4.18.x) to apply setLowerCase(true) to all affected HeaderFilterStrategy implementations.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
CamelApplication
Affected:>= 3.0.0, < 4.14.6>= 4.15.0, < 4.18.2= 4.19.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Apache Camel version
    Check your project pom.xml for the camel-bom or specific camel-core version, or run: mvn dependency:tree | grep camel-core, or check the classpath for camel-core-[version].jar
    Affected if The version is >= 3.0.0 and < 4.14.6, OR >= 4.15.0 and < 4.18.2, OR exactly 4.19.0
  2. Determine if JMS, SJMS, CoAP, or Google PubSub components are in use
    Search your route definitions (Java, XML, or YAML) for any of these component usages: camel-jms, camel-sjms, camel-coap, camel-google-pubsub. Check pom.xml for these dependencies.
    Affected if Any of these four components are present in your project dependencies or route definitions
  3. Locate HeaderFilterStrategy usage in routes
    Search route configurations for 'HeaderFilterStrategy' keyword. Look for classes implementing HeaderFilterStrategy or XML elements that configure header filtering.
    Affected if HeaderFilterStrategy is explicitly configured for JMS, SJMS, CoAP, or Google PubSub endpoints
  4. Verify case-insensitive header filtering is enabled
    Search configuration for setLowerCase(true) method calls on HeaderFilterStrategy or headerFilterStrategy configuration elements. Check if 'caseInsensitive' or 'lowerCase' properties are set to true.
    Affected if The HeaderFilterStrategy for affected components does NOT have setLowerCase(true) or equivalent case-insensitive configuration applied
  5. Check for internal header injection points
    Review your application logs and input validation for any usage of headers matching pattern 'camel*' with varying case (camelExecCommandExecutable, camelFileName, etc.). Search codebase for dynamic header construction.
    Affected if Routes accept external input that could be mapped to headers matching the 'camel' prefix pattern

Your environment is affected if you run a vulnerable Apache Camel version AND use JMS, SJMS, CoAP, or Google PubSub components with HeaderFilterStrategy that lacks setLowerCase(true) configuration, allowing case-variant header injection.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.14.6 / 4.18.2 or later
Fixed in 4.14.64.18.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Apache Camel 4.20.0 (or 4.14.6 for 4.14.x LTS, 4.18.2 for 4.18.x) to apply setLowerCase(true) to all affected HeaderFilterStrategy implementations.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apache Camel 4.20.0 (or 4.14.6 for 4.14.x LTS users, or 4.18.2 for 4.18.x users)

  1. Identify the currently deployed Apache Camel version by checking your project dependencies or runtime environment
  2. If running on Apache Camel 4.19.0, upgrade to 4.20.0 or later
  3. If running on Apache Camel 4.15.0 through 4.18.1, upgrade to 4.18.2 or later
  4. If running on Apache Camel 3.0.0 through 4.14.5, upgrade to 4.14.6 (LTS) or later
  5. Update Maven/Gradle dependencies to the new version, for example: update the camel-bom to version 4.14.6, 4.18.2, or 4.20.0
  6. Rebuild and redeploy the application
  7. Verify the upgrade does not break existing route functionality
Caveat Review release notes for the target version to check for breaking changes, especially if upgrading across major version boundaries

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Camel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,120
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-40453 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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