Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in Apache POI
In Apache POI up to 4.1.0, when using the tool XSSFExportToXml to convert user-provided Microsoft Excel documents, a specially crafted document can allow an attacker to read files from the local filesystem or from internal network resources via XML External Entity (XXE) Processing.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.poi:poi | < 4.1.1 | 4.1.1 |
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-12415
- https://github.com/apache/poi
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/13a54b6a03369cfb418a699180ffb83bd727320b6ddfec198b9b728e@%3Cannounce.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/2ac0327748de0c2b3c1c012481b79936797c711724e0b7da83cf564c@%3Cuser.tika.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/895164e03a3c327449069e2fd6ced0367561878b3ae6a8ec740c2007@%3Cuser.tika.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/d88b8823867033514d7ec05d66f88c70dc207604d3dcbd44fd88464c@%3Cuser.tika.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r204ba2a9ea750f38d789d2bb429cc0925ad6133deea7cbc3001d96b5@%3Csolr-user.lucene.apache.org%3E
- https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuApr2021.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2020.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2020.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2021.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2020.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-611- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
org.apache.poi:poi- Disclosed
- 24.05.2022
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 11:21
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-9jwc-q6j3-8g9g - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: org.apache.poi:poi
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.
- Total entries
- 7
- First → latest
- 01.2021 05.2022
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- High 1
- Medium 6
Disclosures per year
- 2021: 1
- 2022: 6
- 2023: 0
- 2024: 0
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 0
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