---
title: "CVE-2026-33454: Apache Camel's Camel-Mail component is vulnerable to Camel message header injection"
url: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2026-33454/
description: "CVE-2026-33454 (org.apache.camel:camel-mail (Maven)): The Camel-Mail component is vulnerable to Camel message header injection. The custom header filter…"
type: vulnerability-record
section: "Security Digest"
date_published: 2026-04-27
date_modified: 2026-10-05
publisher: erroneo.us
author: erroneo.us Security Desk
cve: "CVE-2026-33454"
kev: false
cvss: 9.4
epss: 0.01034
license: All rights reserved. Quote with attribution and a link.
---

# CVE-2026-33454: Apache Camel's Camel-Mail component is vulnerable to Camel message header injection

**Signal:** Critical and remotely reachable. No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. (Computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS; not an editorial verdict.)

## Should you act?

- No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
- EPSS 1.0% , percentile 63: FIRST’s model estimates a 1.0% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 63% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
- Only applies if your dependency tree includes org.apache.camel:camel-mail (Maven) >= 3.0.0, < 4.14.6, fixed in 4.14.6 ; org.apache.camel:camel-mail (Maven) >= 4.15.0, < 4.18.1, fixed in 4.18.1 . Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

## What it is

The Camel-Mail component is vulnerable to Camel message header injection. The custom header filter strategy used by the component (MailHeaderFilterStrategy) only filters the 'out' direction via setOutFilterStartsWith, while it does not configure the 'in' direction via setInFilterStartsWith. As a result, when a Camel application consumes mail through camel-mail (for example via from(\"imap://...\") or from(\"pop3://...\")) the inbound filter check is skipped and Camel-prefixed MIME headers are mapped unfiltered into the Exchange. An attacker who can deliver an email to a mailbox monitored by such a consumer can inject Camel-specific headers that, for some Camel components downstream of the mail consumer (such as camel-bean, camel-exec, or camel-sql), can alter the behaviour of the route. This is the same pattern that was previously addressed in camel-undertow (CVE-2025-30177) and the broader incoming-header filter (CVE-2025-27636 and CVE-2025-29891). This issue affects Apache Camel: from 3.0.0 before 4.14.6, from 4.15.0 before 4.18.1. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.19.0, which fixes the issue. If users are on the 4.18.x LTS releases stream, then they are suggested to upgrade to 4.18.1. If users are on the 4.14.x LTS releases stream, then they are suggested to upgrade to 4.14.6.

## Affected packages

- Maven `org.apache.camel:camel-mail` >= 3.0.0, < 4.14.6 → fixed: 4.14.6
- Maven `org.apache.camel:camel-mail` >= 4.15.0, < 4.18.1 → fixed: 4.18.1

## Affected products (CVE record)

- Apache Software Foundation Apache Camel: 3.0.0 < 4.14.6, 4.15.0 < 4.18.1

## Severity

- CISA-ADP CVSS 3.1: 9.4 `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L`
- redhat-SADP CVSS 3.1: 9.4 `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L`
- GitHub CVSS 3.1: 9.4 `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L`

## Exploitation

- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none , automatable yes , technical impact partial .
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 1.03% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 63.

## Sources

- [camel.apache.org](https://camel.apache.org/security/CVE-2026-33454.html)
- [access.redhat.com](https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:19835)
- [access.redhat.com](https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:17668)
- [GitHub Advisory GHSA-2vqf-x7g4-7c2g](https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-2vqf-x7g4-7c2g)
- [CVE.org record CVE-2026-33454](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-33454)
- [NVD entry CVE-2026-33454](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-33454)
- [access.redhat.com](https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-33454)
- [RHBZ#2463181](https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2463181)
- [security.access.redhat.com](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-33454.json)
- [github.com](https://github.com/apache/camel/pull/22146)
- [github.com](https://github.com/apache/camel/pull/22147)
- [github.com](https://github.com/apache/camel/pull/22148)
- [github.com](https://github.com/apache/camel/pull/22149)
- [github.com](https://github.com/apache/camel/pull/22150)
- [github.com](https://github.com/apache/camel/pull/22151)
- [github.com](https://github.com/apache/camel/pull/22152)
- [github.com](https://github.com/apache/camel/commit/0307dd4709a8136eba3206701004bcb528bc47fd)
- [github.com](https://github.com/apache/camel/commit/05cffa5ec05ff2ec3c50a77825625da6e426e7a8)
- [github.com](https://github.com/apache/camel/commit/3926ab2b7745e36da2cd8e0dc019018bc415aff9)
- [github.com](https://github.com/apache/camel/commit/540d48e1cb5e492bd1c74bfc5a6e929fcf24fe3b)
- [github.com](https://github.com/apache/camel/commit/5c20de8f047de725e0b32a874cdb5108c3e46558)
- [github.com](https://github.com/apache/camel/commit/e074c01a719cccf3b1c2efbd2ff31e60fd6220ce)
- [issues.apache.org](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/CAMEL-23222)

---
Source page: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2026-33454/ · Security Digest: https://erroneo.us/security/ · More: https://erroneo.us/llms.txt