Medium

Apache Log4j 1 to Log4j 2 bridge: silent log event loss in Log4j1XmlLayout due to unescaped XML 1.0 forbidden characters

  • Disclosed: 10.04.2026
  • Updated: 11.10.2026 13:20

The Log4j1XmlLayout from the Apache Log4j 1-to-Log4j 2 bridge fails to escape characters forbidden by the XML 1.0 standard, producing malformed XML output. Conforming XML parsers are required to reject documents containing such characters with a fatal error, which may cause downstream log processing systems to drop or fail to index affected records.

Two groups of users are affected:

  • Those using Log4j1XmlLayout directly in a Log4j Core 2 configuration file.
  • Those using the Log4j 1 configuration compatibility layer with org.apache.log4j.xml.XMLLayout specified as the layout class.

Users are advised to upgrade to Apache Log4j 1-to-Log4j 2 bridge version 2.25.4, which corrects this issue.

[!NOTE] The Apache Log4j 1-to-Log4j 2 bridge is deprecated and will not be present in Log4j 3. Users are encouraged to consult the Log4j 1 to Log4j 2 migration guide, and specifically the section on eliminating reliance on the bridge.

Affected software

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PlatformPackageVulnerable versionsFixed in
Java / Kotlin (Maven) org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-1.2-api >= 2.7, < 2.25.4, >= 3.0.0-beta1, <= 3.0.0-beta2 2.25.4

References

CVSS score -
CVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:L/SA:N
Weakness (CWE)
CWE-116
Platform
Java / Kotlin (Maven)
Package
org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-1.2-api
Disclosed
10.04.2026
Updated
11.10.2026 13:20

Sources and licenses

OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-h383-gmxw-35v2 - CC BY 4.0

Vulnerability history: org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-1.2-api

All published vulnerabilities of this package (Java / Kotlin (Maven)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.

This is the only known vulnerability of this package.

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