CVE-2026-84939

Apache FreeMarker, Apache FreeMarker: A malformed locale may be exploitable for path traversal attacks

CRITICAL
9.1
CVSS Score
Published: September 10, 2026 at 05:07 AM UTC
Updated: September 11, 2026 at 01:20 PM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorFreemarker

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Severity
CRITICAL9.1
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.9%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

Path traversal vulnerability in Apache FreeMarker template loading mechanism, if the attacker can specify an arbitrary malformed locale identifier to FreeMarker, and the localized lookup configuration setting is enabled (it's by default enabled). This issue affects Apache FreeMarker from 2.2.0 through 2.3.34. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.3.35. Disabling localized lookup in previous versions also mitigates this. Note that even in versions affected by this vulnerability, the files that can be loaded remain restricted by the TemplateLoader that FreeMarker is configured to use. In particular, FileTemplateLoader prevents attempts to traverse outside the baseDir specified in its constructor. Other TemplateLoader implementations may allow access outside their designated base directory, but they are still constrained by the underlying storage mechanism—for example, a loader wrapping a Java class loader can only access resources that the class loader can load, while one wrapping a web application context can only access resources available through that context.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

2.2 ≤ v < 2.3.352.2.0
Vendor states this is fixed in 2.3.35 (unaffected)

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet. What the record does show:

References (2)

Vendor AdvisoryMailing List
Source: cverecord
https://lists.apache.org/thread/hrd7o2ylwkkswdyhyzllgqt0f80kyd5y
Mailing ListThird Party Advisory
Source: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/09/08/2

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitAutomatableTotal impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

9.1CRITICALCISA-ADP
Attack Vector
NETWORK
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
NONE
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
HIGH
Integrity
HIGH
Availability
NONE
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusANALYZED
CWE
CWE-23

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