Header injection in Apache Camel mail.smtp headers via MimeMultipart
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Low · Low · None
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
Apache Camel from 4.0.0 before 4.18.5 and from 4.19.0 before 4.22.1 has improper input validation (CWE-20) in its Camel-Mail component. The MimeMultipart data format maps mail.smtp headers onto the Exchange without applying a header filter when it unmarshals a message. A remote sender can craft a multipart message that sets these headers, which influence how a downstream mail producer connects and sends.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-04
Description from the CNA
Improper Input Validation vulnerability in Apache Camel Mail component. This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.0.0 before 4.18.5, from 4.19.0 before 4.22.1. CVE-2026-46584 addressed mail headers reaching the Exchange without passing through a header filter, but the MimeMultipart data format retained an unfiltered path: unmarshalling a multipart message mapped mail.smtp headers onto the Exchange with no filter applied. Those names sit outside the Camel namespace that consumer filters block, so a message crafted by an external sender could still set them, and the mail.smtp namespace influences how a downstream mail producer connects and sends. This is an incomplete fix of CVE-2026-46584 rather than a new class of defect: a deployment that applied that advisory and considered camel-mail settled remained exposed on this path. 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 MimeMultipart data format now applies the header filter on unmarshal, closing the path CVE-2026-46584 left open. For deployments that cannot upgrade immediately, strip the namespace after the data format with removeHeaders("mail.smtp*") before any mail producer.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
Upgrade Apache Camel 4.18.x to 4.18.5, 4.22.x to 4.22.1, or use 4.23.0. Red Hat Fuse 7 has no fix planned, and Red Hat build of Apache Camel 4 for Quarkus 3 and Red Hat build of Apache Camel for Spring Boot 4 have no fix available. Until upgrading, remove mail.smtp headers from the Exchange after the MimeMultipart data format and before any mail producer.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-04
- Fix · CNA Apache Camel (Apache Software Foundation) Fixed in 4.18.5, 4.22.1, 4.23.0
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Release ·
Apache Camel 4.18.5, 4.22.1
39 records Highest priority Priority HIGH 6 HIGH, 9 MEDIUM, 24 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2026-76322 Unsafe deserialization in Apache Camel camel-hazelcastPriority HIGH 82
- TI-2026-76339 Path traversal in Apache Camel azure-files componentPriority HIGH 74
- TI-2026-76330 Path traversal in Apache Camel FTP consumer escapes polled directoryPriority HIGH 74
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Fuse 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat build of Apache Camel 4 for Quarkus 3 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat build of Apache Camel for Spring Boot 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Timeline
- 2026-10-19 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-85314
- 2026-10-19 Alias added: GHSA-crhc-jwx9-cr8c
- 2026-10-19 CISA SSVC decision points changed
- 2026-10-19 Priority changed: MEDIUM → LOW
- 2026-11-04 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-04 CVSS score added · Red Hat
References
Patch 4
- Apache Camel Security Advisory - CVE-2026-85314
- Fix on main, released in 4.23.0 (commit c2bcb24814a806ced928e612ce5da1a6e3658234)
- Backport to camel-4.22.x, released in 4.22.1 (commit 451d3037ee60544cb2158675959416fec5cc5745)
- Backport to camel-4.18.x, released in 4.18.5 (commit e25a496381c1330aea16f26136ce02bb818ccccb)
Advisory 1
More Apache Camel vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-76322 Unsafe deserialization in Apache Camel camel-hazelcast CVSS 4.0CRITICAL 10.0
- TI-2026-18973 Apache Camel: Camel-Keycloak: Cross-Realm Token Acceptance Bypass in KeycloakSecurityPolicy CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2026-76339 Path traversal in Apache Camel azure-files component CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2026-76330 Path traversal in Apache Camel FTP consumer escapes polled directory CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2025-20435 Apache Camel: Camel Message Header Injection via Improper Filtering CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.6
- TI-2026-34899 Apache Camel: Camel-CXF Message Header Injection via Missing Inbound Filtering CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
Sources
- CVE-2026-85314 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-85314 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-crhc-jwx9-cr8c · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-85314 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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