# CVE-2026-85249: Apache Camel: Camel-Tika Header Injection via Unfiltered Document Metadata

> Attackers can inject malicious headers via crafted document metadata in Apache Camel Tika, potentially altering file write locations or bypassing security controls.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-xp25-2fp7-pffp

## What is CVE-2026-85249?

CVE-2026-85249 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apache Camel, published on 19 Oct 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Improper Input Validation vulnerability in Apache Camel Tika component.

This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.0.0 before 4.18.5, from 4.19.0 before 4.22.1.

The Tika producer mapped every metadata key parsed out of the submitted document onto the Exchange as a header, with no filter applied. Document metadata is attacker-controlled content: the party that supplies the file chooses the metadata keys it carries. A crafted document could therefore set Exchange headers that the rest of the route depends on, including headers in the Camel namespace such as CamelFileName, which downstream components use to decide where content is written. The pattern is the same header-injection class as the consumer advisories published previously, reached here through parsed file content rather than through a protocol header.

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. Parsed document metadata is now filtered through a HeaderFilterStrategy before it is mapped onto the Exchange. A route that was reading a metadata-derived header the filter now blocks will see it missing. For deployments that cannot upgrade immediately, strip the Camel namespace after the Tika producer with removeHeaders("Camel*") before any component that acts on those headers.

Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-85249?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-85249?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-85249 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-85249 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-85249 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- Reproducer for CVE-2026-85249 — Apache Camel camel-tika metadata header injection (CWE-20); Spring Boot + Quarkus, affected vs fixed (github_poc): https://github.com/oscerd/CVE-2026-85249

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-85249 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-85249 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apache Camel, published on 19 Oct 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-85249 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Apache Camel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-85249/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-85249/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-85249
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-85249
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-85249

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-85249/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.