`CVE-2026-90436`

Severity	9.8 Critical CVSS 3.1
Weakness	Unsafe reflection (CWE-470)
Published	6 Nov 2026
Updated	12 Nov 2026

Tagged unsupported-when-assigned. The affected software was already out of support when the CVE was assigned.

Published 7 days ago. NVD often adds the list of affected products days or weeks after a CVE is published, and the other sources we check lag too. The scope and status here may change.

Description

Deserialization of an inbound SOAP fault in Apache Axis 1.x allows unauthenticated remote class instantiation. When a SOAP <Fault> carries a <detail><exceptionName> element, Axis loads the named class and, if a String <data> element is also present, instantiates it through its String constructor before checking that it is an AxisFault. Loading alone runs the class's static initializer. With a suitable class on the application's classpath this leads to remote code execution. The fault is parsed while the engine resolves the target service, before any per-service handler chain runs, so authentication handlers configured on a service do not protect against it. This affects all Apache Axis 1.x versions through 1.4. As Axis 1 has been EOL we recommend you migrate to a different SOAP engine, such as Apache Axis 2/Java. Alternatively you could use a build of Axis with the patch from https://github.com/apache/axis-axis1-java/commit/41f3b4e8d04e310ca81f86b92630ab2c11d608bd applied. The Apache Axis project does not expect to create an Axis 1.x release fixing this problem.

Exploitation status

Exploited

Real-world exploitation reported by VulnCheck KEV. CISA has not confirmed it.

CISA KEV not listed
VulnCheck KEV listed Exploitation reported in the wild. 1 citation · 1 exploit · earliest 2026-11-12.
CISA Vulnrichment exploitation: none
Indexed PoC 1 indexed, none at 5+ stars
EPSS 1.1% chance in 30 days

VulnCheck KEV

Exploitation evidence from VulnCheck Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (VulnCheck KEV), used under VulnCheck's community terms. View CVE-2026-90436 in VulnCheck (free account).

Evidence	Source	Detail	Date
Reported exploitation	previdian.com	/CVE-2026-90436	2026-11-12
Exploit reference	VulnCheck XDB 30c40de33ffe	Exploit type: initial-access	2026-11-10

Evidence

Source

Detail

Date

Reported exploitation

previdian.com

/CVE-2026-90436

2026-11-12

Exploit reference

VulnCheck XDB 30c40de33ffe

Exploit type: initial-access

2026-11-10

1 of these are GitHub repositories with fewer than 5 stars. They are listed for reference and don't count toward the exploitation status above.

Index	Artifact	Stars	First seen
GitHub PoC	POC for CVE-2026-90436 - unauthenticated remote class instantiation in Apache Axis 1.x via SOAP fault exceptionName, bypassing configured auth handlers. EOL software, no fix exists.	1	2026-11-10

Index

Artifact

Stars

First seen

GitHub PoC

POC for CVE-2026-90436 - unauthenticated remote class instantiation in Apache Axis 1.x via SOAP fault exceptionName, bypassing configured auth handlers. EOL software, no fix exists.

2026-11-10

Waratek protection

Protected by Waratek

Waratek has a rule that blocks attacks on this vulnerability.

Protection full Deserialization, Process
Action available security rule
Review automated Inferred
Record active unsupported-when-assigned

Decided by	A vulnerability class already blocked by an ARMR security rule
Finding	Protected by Waratek's ARMR deserialization security rule, which blocks this class of attack at the JVM level without a rule written for this CVE specifically. The CVE's description identifies a deserialization vulnerability. Matched by description (CWE-470 was assigned but names a step inside this class, not the class itself).
Candidate fix	https://github.com/apache/axis-axis1-java/commit/41f3b4e8d04e310ca81f86b92630ab2c11d608bd : a commit: the change itself

Decided by

A vulnerability class already blocked by an ARMR security rule

Finding

Protected by Waratek's ARMR deserialization security rule, which blocks this class of attack at the JVM level without a rule written for this CVE specifically. The CVE's description identifies a deserialization vulnerability. Matched by description (CWE-470 was assigned but names a step inside this class, not the class itself).

Candidate fix

https://github.com/apache/axis-axis1-java/commit/41f3b4e8d04e310ca81f86b92630ab2c11d608bd : a commit: the change itself

How to mitigate CVE-2026-90436

Apply the vendor's fix. Until you can, Waratek RASP blocks exploitation with its deserialization and process rules. It runs inside the Java application, with no code changes.

Waratek RASP Runtime protection for Java applications

References

URL	Tags
https://github.com/apache/axis-axis1-java/commit/41f3b4e8d04e310ca81f86b92630ab2c11d608bd	commit
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/8slf0j9gz35z56t0glt5h0ncwlbn4bdz
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/11/06/12

URL

Timeline

Published	2026-11-06	By the CVE Program.
NVD record modified	2026-11-12	NVD's own last-modified date for this record.
VulnCheck KEV: earliest evidence	2026-11-12	Date of the oldest evidence of exploitation in VulnCheck KEV's record. VulnCheck does not publish the date it listed the CVE.

Published

2026-11-06

By the CVE Program.

NVD record modified

2026-11-12

NVD's own last-modified date for this record.

VulnCheck KEV: earliest evidence

2026-11-12

Date of the oldest evidence of exploitation in VulnCheck KEV's record. VulnCheck does not publish the date it listed the CVE.

How VRT decided (18 of 24 rules ran)

18 of 24 rules ran. The rest didn't run because an earlier rule had already settled the CVE.

# Rule Outcome Status Detail

identity: Does this identifier describe a vulnerability at all? the first rule that matches decides

1 rejected no match CVE Program withdrawal of this identifier

scope: Is it a vulnerability Waratek protects? the first rule that matches decides

2 armr-patch-file no match An ARMR patch file on disk for this CVE

3 armr-secure-rule-file no match An ARMR security-rule template on disk for this CVE

4 manual-classification no match A researcher's recorded decision for this specific CVE

5 manual classification no match Manual classification of this CVE in the legacy dataset

6 non-java-upstream no match A root cause in non-Java code: an OS kernel, a C library, or a bundled runtime

7 oracle-component no match The defect being in a component of a tracked product the agent does not reach: JavaFX, the Java SE installer, the JInitiator browser plug-in, the native WebLogic proxy plug-in, or a native part of Oracle Application Server or Collaboration Suite (HTTP Server, Web Cache, Internet Directory, mail and calendar servers). Oracle gives these no CPE of their own and names them only in the description.

8 java-client-side no match Oracle's own risk-matrix note saying the CVE is reached only through untrusted code in the Java sandbox (applets, Web Start) or only through a client installation of Java, so a server running its own trusted code is not exposed

9 osv-maven no match An OSV.dev record of this CVE affecting a package published to Maven Central. When every such package is one business applications do not use (Minecraft mods and launchers, Fastjson) and no tracked product is named by CPE, it settles the CVE as Outside Waratek scope instead

10 cna-maven-package matched In scope CNA declares the affected component is a Maven artifact

11 known-cpe-product not reached An NVD CPE naming a product ARMR tracks

12 cna-cpe-product not reached A CPE the CNA published naming a tracked product. Oracle publishes these on advisory day, months before NVD.

13 oracle-advisory-family not reached A tracked product family named in Oracle's own risk matrix. CPE cannot carry a suite name, only a module.

14 cna-named-product not reached A tracked product named in words by the CVE's own CNA, on a record with no CPE yet. Apache and Eclipse publish these on advisory day, before NVD adds CPE data.

15 non-deployable-product not reached The only affected product being a sealed appliance image, where Java runs but no -javaagent can be attached

16 unmatched-product not reached No tracked product matched above, and none present at all

disposition: What do we do about one that is? every rule runs

17 patch-hint matched Mitigation candidate References include candidate fix URL (commit tier): https://github.com/apache/axis-axis1-java/commit/41f3b4e8d04e310ca81f86b92630ab2c11d608bd

18 open-source-maven skipped The affected package being open source on Maven, so the fix can be read

19 poc-derivable skipped An indexed exploit clearing the evidence bar to reverse-engineer, where there is no source to read

20 no-exploit skipped Nothing to build a rule from yet: no published exploit, no CISA record of exploitation and no source-level change to read

21 secure-rule-match decided it matched Protected by Waratek Description mentions "deserialization" — mitigable by an ARMR deserialization security rule (CWE-470 names only a step inside this class).

22 exploited-no-fix-or-poc skipped Somebody exploiting this CVE (a CISA or VulnCheck KEV listing, or a CISA verdict of active exploitation), with no fix, source code or PoC to build a rule from

23 below-action-threshold skipped Medium or Low severity, no CISA or VulnCheck KEV listing, no PoC clearing the evidence bar, no CISA verdict, no Oracle advisory

24 no-exploit-published skipped Exploit code for this candidate, published in a reviewed catalogue or a GitHub repository with 5 or more stars, or in use per CISA or VulnCheck; not only a CISA verdict, a forecast, or nothing at all

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