What is xxe?
XXE (XML External Entity) attack is a security vulnerability occurring during the processing of XML documents. This type of attack can lead to the exposure of sensitive information when XML parsers process external entities.
Azərbaycanca: XXE (XML External Entity) hücumu XML sənədlərinin emalında baş verən bir təhlükəsizlik zəifliyidir. Bu hücum növü XML parserlərin xarici entity-ləri emal edərkən həssas məlumatları ifşa etməsinə səbəb ola bilər.
How it works
XXE attack occurs by injecting specially crafted external entities into an XML document. If the XML parser processes these entities without security measures, an attacker can obtain sensitive information or perform server-side request forgery (SSRF) attacks.
Defense checklist5
- 01
Secure configuration of XML parsers
- 02
Disabling external entity processing
- 03
Restricting DTD (Document Type Definition) processing
- 04
Validation and sanitization of input data
- 05
Regular security testing and auditing
Real-world evidence
CVE-2026-57917 (proCertum SmartSign), CVE-2026-54079 (veraPDF validation), CVE-2026-50782 (Jinher OA C6), CVE-2025-36374 (IBM DataPower Gateway), and other given incidents demonstrate the real threat of XXE attacks.
Sources
- CVE-2026-57917: proCertum SmartSign parses external XML entities from arbitrary crafted signature files, envd
- CVE-2026-54079: veraPDF validation provides PDF/A and PDF/UA validation, feature reporting, and metadata rnvd
- CVE-2026-54078: veraPDF validation model is an implementation of the veraPDF validation model. From 1.25.7nvd
- CVE-2026-50782: Jinher OA C6 contains an XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability in the /c6/JHSonvd
- CVE-2025-36374: IBM DataPower Gateway is vulnerable to an XML external entity injection (XXE) attack whennvd
- CVE-2026-14304: In Eclipse Accessibility Tools Framework (ACTF) versions up to 1.6.0 (including source codnvd
- CVE-2026-10025: IBM QRadar 7.6.0.0 through 7.6.0.1, and 7.5.0 through 7.5.0 UP 15 Interim Fix 005 has an Xnvd
- CVE-2026-65432: Apache CXF reads a top-level WSDL through its hardened StaxUtils path, which disables XMLnvd
- CVE-2026-16999: Improper restriction of XML external entity reference vulnerability in Ministry of Justicenvd
- CVE-2026-69101: Datavane TIS v5.0.0 contains an XML external entity (XXE) injection vulnerability that allnvd
- CVE-2026-70423: Dell OpenManage Enterprise, versions prior to 4.7.0, contains an Improper Restriction of Xnvd
See also6
This guide is AI-written from the real incident sources skopnix collected — the examples above are drawn from those cited items, nothing is invented.