CVE-2026-46590 Apache Camel-PQC: The HashiCorp Vault and AWS Secrets Manager key-lifecycle managers deserialize persisted key metadata with java.io.ObjectInputStream and no ObjectInputFilter (incomplete remediation of CVE-2026-40048)

High 8.8 Published 6 Jul 2026 Updated 6 Jul 2026

An attacker with write access to the key backend can execute arbitrary code via unsafe deserialization in Apache Camel's PQC component.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Any signed-in user
Attackable: Over the internet
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: Available

What is CVE-2026-46590?

CVE-2026-46590 is a high-severity unsafe deserialization vulnerability in Apache Camel, published on 6 Jul 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in Apache Camel PQC component.

The camel-pqc component persists post-quantum key metadata (KeyMetadata) through pluggable KeyLifecycleManager implementations. HashicorpVaultKeyLifecycleManager and AwsSecretsManagerKeyLifecycleManager read that metadata back from the configured secret backend by deserializing a Base64-wrapped value with a raw java.io.ObjectInputStream.readObject() and no ObjectInputFilter or class allow-list; the cast to KeyMetadata happens only after readObject() returns, so any readObject() side effects in a crafted object run before the type check. The same unfiltered legacy-migration read also remained in FileBasedKeyLifecycleManager (for the stored KeyPair and KeyMetadata). A principal who can write to the operator-controlled backend that holds these values - the HashiCorp Vault KV path, or the AWS Secrets Manager secret (requiring a Vault token or secretsmanager:PutSecretValue) - could store a crafted serialized object that is deserialized during normal key-lifecycle operations, potentially leading to code execution in the context of the application that manages the keys. This is an incomplete-remediation follow-on to CVE-2026-40048 (CAMEL-23200), which changed FileBasedKeyLifecycleManager to store metadata as JSON / PKCS#8 / X.509 but did not add an ObjectInputFilter, did not cover the Vault and AWS sibling managers, and left FileBasedKeyLifecycleManager's own legacy-migration deserialization unfiltered. This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.18.0 before 4.18.3, from 4.19.0 before 4.21.0.

Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.21.0, which fixes the issue. If users are on the 4.18.x LTS releases stream, then they are suggested to upgrade to 4.18.3. For deployments that cannot upgrade immediately, restrict write access to the key backend so that only the application's own identity can write the camel-pqc secrets (least-privilege HashiCorp Vault policies and secretsmanager:PutSecretValue IAM), and keep the PQC key material in a backend separate from any data that less-trusted principals can write.

Weakness: CWE-502

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-46590?

4 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.apache.camel:camel-pqc. It affects 1 product.

Package	Affected	Fixed in
`org.apache.camel:camel-pqc` Maven	From `4.18.0`	`4.18.3`
`org.apache.camel:camel-pqc` Maven	From `4.18.0`	`4.18.3`
`org.apache.camel:camel-pqc` Maven	From `4.19.0`	`4.21.0`
`org.apache.camel:camel-pqc` Maven	From `4.19.0`	`4.21.0`

Products include Apache Camel.

How do I fix CVE-2026-46590?

Upgrade org.apache.camel:camel-pqc to a fixed version for your release line: 4.18.3 or 4.21.0.

Upgrade, and only deserialise data from trusted sources or with an allow-list of types. More about Unsafe deserialization.

Is CVE-2026-46590 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-46590 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code: 1 proofs of concept on GitHub.

All Apache Camel vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-857v-xvh8-7hjc.