CVE-2026-40021

Severity CVSS v4.0:

MEDIUM

Type:

Unavailable / Other

Publication date:

10/04/2026

Last modified:

22/04/2026

Description

Apache Log4net&#39;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.<br /> <br /> 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.<br /> <br /> Users are advised to upgrade to Apache Log4net 3.3.0, which fixes this issue.

Impact

Vector 4.0

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:L/SA:N CVSS v4.0 Severity and Metrics:

Base Score: 6.30 MEDIUM
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:L/SA:N

Attack Vector (AV): Network
Attack Complexity (AC): High
Attack Requirements (AT): None
Privileges Required (PR): None
User Interaction (UI): None
Confidentiality (VC): None
Integrity (VI): None
Availability (VA): None
Confidentiality (SC): None
Integrity (SI): Low
Availability (SA): None

Base Score 4.0

6.30

Severity 4.0

MEDIUM

Vector 3.x

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N CVSS v3.1 Severity and Metrics:

Base Score: 5.30 MEDIUM
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

Attack Vector (AV): Network
Attack Complexity (AC): Low
Privileges Required (PR): None
User Interaction (UI): None
Scope (S): Unchanged
Confidentiality (C): None
Integrity (I): Low
Availability (A): None