CycloneDX Core (Java): BOM validation is vulnerable to XML External Entity injection
Impact
The XML Validator used by cyclonedx-core-java was not configured securely, making the library vulnerable to XML External Entity (XXE) injection.
The fix for GHSA-683x-4444-jxh8 / CVE-2024-38374 has been incomplete in that it only fixed parsing of XML BOMs, but not validation.
Patches
The vulnerability has been fixed in cyclonedx-core-java version 11.0.1.
Workarounds
If feasible, applications can reject XML documents before handing them to cyclonedx-core-java for validation. This may be an option if incoming CycloneDX BOMs are known to be in JSON format.
References
- The issue was introduced via https://github.com/CycloneDX/cyclonedx-core-java/commit/162aa594f347b3f612fe0a45071693c3cd398ce9
- The issue was fixed via https://github.com/CycloneDX/cyclonedx-core-java/pull/737
- https://cheatsheetseries.owasp.org/cheatsheets/XML_External_Entity_Prevention_Cheat_Sheet.html#schemafactory
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.cyclonedx:cyclonedx-core-java | >= 2.1.0, < 11.0.1 | 11.0.1 |
References
- https://github.com/CycloneDX/cyclonedx-core-java/security/advisories/GHSA-6fhj-vr9j-g45r
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-64518
- https://github.com/CycloneDX/cyclonedx-core-java/pull/737
- https://github.com/CycloneDX/cyclonedx-core-java/commit/162aa594f347b3f612fe0a45071693c3cd398ce9
- https://github.com/CycloneDX/cyclonedx-core-java/commit/af0ec75c93c03f93733a070c5132554490af5314
- https://cheatsheetseries.owasp.org/cheatsheets/XML_External_Entity_Prevention_Cheat_Sheet.html#schemafactory
- https://github.com/CycloneDX/cyclonedx-core-java
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-611- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
org.cyclonedx:cyclonedx-core-java- Disclosed
- 10.11.2025
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 13:20
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-6fhj-vr9j-g45r - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: org.cyclonedx:cyclonedx-core-java
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
- 2
- First → latest
- 06.2024 11.2025
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- High 2
Disclosures per year
- 2024: 1
- 2025: 1
- 2026: 0
-
CycloneDX Core (Java): BOM validation is vulnerable to XML External Entity injection this entry
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