IT SBIT Services
Schneeberger
DEEN
CVE tracker

Apache Camel camel-smooks: XML external entity processing (XXE)

CVE-2026-88901High 8.2Public exploit

← All vulnerabilities

Summary

The camel-smooks data format and component in Apache Camel parse incoming XML bodies with a reader that resolves external entities and loads external DTDs by default. An external sender who can supply the XML message body can declare an external entity to read files readable by the Camel process or make requests to internal hosts. Exposure only exists where a route uses camel-smooks with XML from untrusted senders; EDI, CSV, JSON and custom-reader configurations are not affected.

Affected

  • Apache Camel 4.7.0 to before 4.18.5
  • Apache Camel 4.19.0 to before 4.22.1
  • Only routes using the Smooks data format or the Smooks component with XML input

Fixed in

  • Apache Camel 4.18.5 (4.18.x LTS)
  • Apache Camel 4.22.1 (4.22.x LTS)
  • Apache Camel 4.23.0

Workaround

  • Do not apply camel-smooks to XML received from untrusted senders.
  • Camel 4.14.x and earlier are end of life and receive no fix; migrate to a supported release.

Exploitation

  • No confirmed exploitation in the wild found.
  • A public proof-of-concept reproducer exists.
  • CISA SSVC: Exploitation none, Automatable yes, Technical Impact partial.

Our recommendation

  • Check whether Camel routes use camel-smooks and whether they accept XML from external senders.
  • Upgrade to 4.18.5, 4.22.1 or 4.23.0 as applicable; prioritise internet-facing or partner integration routes.
  • Until patched, remove camel-smooks from routes that process untrusted XML.
  • Migrate any 4.14.x or older deployments to a supported release.
  • Monitor logs for unusual outbound requests and file access by the Camel process.

Public exploits

Links to third-party sites, not checked by us – exploit code can contain malware. Only use it in isolated test environments.

Research sources

Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 1 Nov 2026, 15:46.

Original description (NVD)

Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference vulnerability in Apache Camel. This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.7.0 before 4.18.5, from 4.19.0 before 4.22.1. Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in the Smooks component (camel-smooks) in Apache Camel allows an attacker who supplies the XML message body to read local files or issue requests to internal network locations via an external entity declaration in that body. This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.7.0 before 4.18.5, from 4.19.0 before 4.22.1. The Smooks data format (.unmarshal().smooks(...)) and the Smooks component (smooks:) parse the incoming XML body with the reader Smooks resolves by default, which is the Woodstox SAX parser. That reader resolves external general and parameter entities and loads external DTDs, and camel-smooks applied none of the parser hardening that the other Camel XML components apply. A DOCTYPE with an external subset, or an external general entity, declared in the XML document is therefore resolved and expanded while the body is unmarshalled, and the resolved content is bound into the unmarshalled result and returned on InOut routes. An external sender whose XML reaches a camel-smooks data format or endpoint could therefore read files readable by the Camel process and cause the process to issue requests to hosts the document names. No non-default option is required, since resolving external entities was the default behaviour. Configurations that declare their own reader - EDI, CSV, JSON, or a custom reader - do not use the XML reader and are not affected. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.18.5, 4.22.1 or 4.23.0, which fixes the issue. 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. camel-smooks now parses the XML body with a javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilder that does not resolve external general or parameter entities and does not load external DTDs, and hands Smooks the resulting document, matching the secure XML processing configuration used by org.apache.camel.converter.jaxp.XmlConverter and the other Camel XML components. This hardening is applied only when the Smooks configuration parses XML with its default reader, so EDI, CSV, JSON and custom-reader configurations, and the marshalling direction, are unchanged. A new allowExternalEntities option, disabled by default, restores the previous behaviour for trusted legacy configurations that rely on external entity resolution. The camel-4.14.x releases stream and earlier reached end of life before this issue was resolved and will not receive a fix, so deployments on those lines must move to a supported release. For deployments that cannot upgrade immediately, do not apply camel-smooks to XML received from untrusted senders.

NVD references (5)

Sources

The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:

This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.

Affected? We can help.

We check whether your systems are affected, install updates and close the gap – continuously with the System Health Checker if you wish.