Apache Camel and Camel K: eight high and critical flaws, from OAuth bypass to deserialization RCE

Timing note: this is not a new disclosure. Apache published the two Camel K advisories on 8 September 2026. Five of the Camel advisories came out on 15 October 2026, and the JGroups one on 19 October 2026. We group them here because they share one upgrade path.

What happened

The Apache Camel PMC has fixed a large batch of security flaws. On 15 October alone it published 38 Camel advisories, all fixed in Camel 4.18.5, 4.22.1 and 4.23.0. Eight of the flaws across Camel and Camel K stand out for their impact.

Two are in Camel K, the operator that runs Camel on Kubernetes. Apache rates both Critical. Six are in Camel components and rated High, with Apache CVSS 3.1 scores from 7.5 to 8.8.

Here is the set, with Apache's rating and the main impact:

• CVE-2026-80352, Camel K, Critical. A CR author can inject arbitrary Kubernetes objects, created with operator rights.
• CVE-2026-80351, Camel K, Critical. Tenant-controlled Maven repository content can run code in the operator pod.
• CVE-2026-88900, camel-jgroups, CVSS 8.8. Unfiltered Java deserialization of cluster messages, leading to code execution.
• CVE-2026-78165, camel-spring-redis, CVSS 8.8. Unfiltered Java deserialization of Redis messages, leading to code execution.
• CVE-2026-80312, camel-oauth, CVSS 8.2. A request that fails OAuth authentication still reaches the route.
• CVE-2026-78164, HTTP producers, CVSS 8.2. Message headers can pull config values and vault secrets into outbound requests.
• CVE-2026-85251, camel-http, CVSS 7.5. Credentials are re-sent to whatever host a redirect names.
• CVE-2026-88901, camel-smooks, CVSS 8.2. XML external entities are resolved by default, allowing local file reads.

Who is affected

Each flaw lives in one component. You are only exposed if your application uses that component, in the way the advisory describes. Check your dependency tree before you rank the risk.

Camel versions affected, per branch:

• 4.18.x LTS: every release before 4.18.5.
• 4.19.0 to 4.22.0: affected; fixed in 4.22.1.
• 4.23.0: fixed.
• 4.14.x and older: affected and end of life, no fix coming.

The start version differs per flaw. Camel-oauth is affected from 4.11.0, camel-smooks from 4.7.0, camel-spring-redis from 2.11.0, the others from 4.0.0.

Camel K versions affected:

• 2.0.0 up to 2.9.2: fixed in 2.9.3.
• 2.10 line before 2.10.2: affected.
• 2.11.0: fixed.

Apache's table and NVD start the 2.10 range at 2.10.0. The CVE record text says 2.10.1. Treat any 2.10 release before 2.10.2 as affected.

The Camel K flaws matter most in multi-tenant clusters, where tenants can write Camel K resources but should not control the operator.

What is confirmed

All eight are listed on the Apache Camel security page, with CVE records published by the Apache CNA. Ratings and fixed versions above come from those advisories. NVD shows Apache's scores and has added none of its own.

Preconditions, as the advisories state them:

• Camel K flaws: the attacker must be an authorized CR author or a tenant. They are not unauthenticated.
• JGroups: network access to the cluster's multicast group or bind port, plus a gadget chain on the classpath.
• Spring Redis: the right to publish on a subscribed Redis channel, with the default serializer.
• OAuth: no access needed, on routes guarded by camel-oauth.
• HTTP placeholders: a sender who can influence two URI override headers.
• HTTP redirects: only with followRedirects enabled on an endpoint that carries credentials.
• Smooks: only when Smooks parses XML with its default reader.

Apache rates the Camel K flaws Critical without a CVSS score. CISA's enrichment added 9.8 to each, assuming no privileges. That does not match Apache's text, so our records leave the score empty.

Public reproducers exist for the six Camel flaws. Andrea Cosentino, the Camel PMC member who wrote the fixes, published them on GitHub between 16 and 21 October. ThreatWire did not run them and does not reprint them.

None of the eight is in the CISA KEV catalog (catalog 2026.10.23, checked 26 October 2026).

What is not confirmed

ThreatWire found no report of exploitation in the wild for any of the eight. CISA's SSVC entries set exploitation to none, or to PoC for the Redis flaw. That can change.

We found no public proof of concept for the two Camel K flaws. The Camel K advisories are short. They do not say which Kubernetes permissions an attacker gains in practice, or whether a workaround exists.

The advisories do not tell how many deployments use these components. How exposed you are depends on your routes and settings, not just the version.

What to do

Upgrade Camel on your branch:

• 4.18.x LTS: go to 4.18.5.
• 4.22.x: go to 4.22.1, or better 4.22.2.
• Latest: 4.23.0.
• 4.14.x or older: move to a supported line.

Release 4.22.2 adds fixes for further Camel flaws, including a High-rated Saxon XXE, CVE-2026-90885.

Upgrade Camel K to 2.9.3, 2.10.2 or 2.11.0.

For camel-jgroups, the upgrade is not enough on 4.18.5 and 4.22.1. Apache says you must also set a JVM-wide serialization filter, or secure the channel with AUTH and encryption.

Apache's stopgaps if you cannot upgrade yet:

• Redis: set a non-Java serializer on the serializer option, or a JVM serialization filter.
• OAuth: add an explicit authorization check after the OAuth processor.
• HTTP headers: strip CamelHttpUri and CamelRestHttpUri at the trust boundary.
• Redirects: set followRedirects to false on endpoints that carry credentials.
• Smooks: do not feed it XML from untrusted senders.

General hygiene (not from the advisories):

• Keep Redis and JGroups clusters off untrusted networks, and require auth on Redis.
• In Kubernetes, limit who can create or edit Camel K resources, and review the operator's RBAC.
• Store secrets in a vault, not in environment variables a placeholder can name.
• Scan your builds for old camel-* artifacts, including ones pulled in by other libraries.

For an earlier Camel XML flaw, see our Camel Quarkus XXE explainer.

Sources: Apache Camel security advisories and security page, the Apache Camel PMC posts on oss-security (10 September, 18 and 19 October 2026), CVE.org, NVD, the GitHub Advisory Database and the CISA KEV catalog.