Description
** UNSUPPORTED WHEN ASSIGNED ** 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.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apache Software Foundation | Apache Axis 1.x (EOL) | ≤ 1.4 | — |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | axis | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 13 | axis | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | axis | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | axis | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | axis | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | axis | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | axis | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | axis | No fix yet | — |
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | axis | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | axis | No fix yet | — |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
GitHub 1 repository
-
fixedbyreboot/CVE-2026-90436-POC ★ 1 · Nov 10, 2026
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.
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 1
- WID-SEC-2026-4427 Atlassian Confluence: Schwachstelle ermöglicht Codeausführung BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 9, 2026