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UK Cyber Defence
VulnerabilityAnalyzed

CVE-2026-40021

Apache Log4net's XmlLayout https://logging.apache.org/log4net/manual/configuration/layouts.html#layout-list and XmlLayoutSchemaLog4J https://logging.apache.org/log4net/manual/configuration/layouts.html#layout-list , in versions before 3.3.0, fail to…

MEDIUM 6.3EPSS 0.77%

Does this matter?

Lower severity and a low EPSS score (0.77%). Track it; it rarely justifies an emergency change on its own.

Description

Apache Log4net's XmlLayout https://logging.apache.org/log4net/manual/configuration/layouts.html#layout-list and XmlLayoutSchemaLog4J https://logging.apache.org/log4net/manual/configuration/layouts.html#layout-list , in versions before 3.3.0, fail to sanitize characters forbidden by the XML 1.0 specification https://www.w3.org/TR/xml/#charsets in MDC property keys and values, as well as the identity field that may carry attacker-influenced data. This causes an exception during serialization and the silent loss of the affected log event. An attacker who can influence any of these fields can exploit this to suppress individual log records, impairing audit trails and detection of malicious activity. Users are advised to upgrade to Apache Log4net 3.3.0, which fixes this issue.

CVSS 4.0
6.3 MEDIUMCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:L/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/M
EPSS
0.77% probability · 55th percentile
Public exploits
None in Exploit-DB
CISA KEV
Not listed
Weakness
CWE-116
Affected
apache/log4net
Source
security@apache.org
EPSS trend
0%3%5%26 October 2026: 0.77%26 October 202626 October 2026

EPSS 0.8% since 26 October 2026; no change recorded yet. Points are recorded when the score first appears and whenever it moves by a percentage point or more.

References

Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.