By default, Apache CXF creates a /services page containing a listing of the available endpoint names and addresses. This webpage is vulnerable to a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attack, which allows a malicious actor to inject javascript into the web page. Please note that the attack exploits a feature which is not typically not present in modern browsers, who remove dot segments before sending the request. However, Mobile applications may be vulnerable.
Apache CXF before 3.3.4 and 3.2.11 does not restrict the number of message attachments present in a given message. This leaves open the possibility of a denial of service type attack, where a malicious user crafts a message containing a very large number of message attachments. From the 3.3.4 and 3.2.11 releases, a default limit of 50 message attachments is enforced. This is configurable via the message property "attachment-max-count".
Apache CXF before 3.3.4 and 3.2.11 provides all of the components that are required to build a fully fledged OpenId Connect service. There is a vulnerability in the access token services, where it does not validate that the authenticated principal is equal to that of the supplied clientId parameter in the request. If a malicious client was able to somehow steal an authorization code issued to another client, then they could exploit this vulnerability to obtain an access token for the other client.
It is possible to configure Apache CXF to use the com.sun.net.ssl implementation via 'System.setProperty("java.protocol.handler.pkgs", "com.sun.net.ssl.internal.www.protocol");'. When this system property is set, CXF uses some reflection to try to make the HostnameVerifier work with the old com.sun.net.ssl.HostnameVerifier interface. However, the default HostnameVerifier implementation in CXF does not implement the method in this interface, and an exception is thrown. However, in Apache CXF prior to 3.2.5 and 3.1.16 the exception is caught in the reflection code and not properly propagated. What this means is that if you are using the com.sun.net.ssl stack with CXF, an error with TLS hostname verification will not be thrown, leaving a CXF client subject to man-in-the-middle attacks.
Apache CXF supports sending and receiving attachments via either the JAX-WS or JAX-RS specifications. It is possible to craft a message attachment header that could lead to a Denial of Service (DoS) attack on a CXF web service provider. Both JAX-WS and JAX-RS services are vulnerable to this attack. From Apache CXF 3.2.1 and 3.1.14, message attachment headers that are greater than 300 characters will be rejected by default. This value is configurable via the property "attachment-max-header-size".