CVE-2023-4554VulnerabilityPublished 29 Jan 2024Updated 29 May 2025

CVE-2023-4554: OpenText AppBuilder · XML External Entity (XXE)

Affects OpenText AppBuilderSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.9 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.9Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 37% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: High: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable component that could affect component-wide settings and files.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 29 Jan 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
OpenText AppBuilder	Affected =21.2	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

1. Upgrade OpenText AppBuilder to version 23.2 or later once available, as this version is not affected. 2. Until patches are available, restrict access to AppBuilder to trusted and authenticated users only, enforcing strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication (MFA). 3. Implement strict input validation and XML parser configurations that disable external entity processing (XXE) where possible, or use safer XML parsing libraries. 4. Monitor logs for unusual XML upload activities or SSRF patterns, including unexpected outbound requests from the AppBuilder server. 5. Employ network segmentation to limit the AppBuilder server’s ability to access sensitive internal resources or files beyond what is necessary. 6. Conduct regular audits of user privileges to minimize the number of users with access to upload XML files. 7. Prepare incident response plans specific to potential data disclosure incidents stemming from this vulnerability.

Description

Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference vulnerability in OpenText AppBuilder on Windows, Linux allows Server Side Request Forgery, Probe System Files. AppBuilder's XML processor is vulnerable to XML External Entity Processing (XXE), allowing an authenticated user to upload specially crafted XML files to induce server-side request forgery, disclose files local to the server that processes them. This issue affects AppBuilder: from 21.2 before 23.2.

Impact

For European organizations using OpenText AppBuilder versions 21.2 through before 23.2, this vulnerability poses a confidentiality risk by enabling authenticated users to access sensitive internal files and potentially internal network resources via SSRF. This could lead to unauthorized disclosure of intellectual property, personal data protected under GDPR, or internal system configurations. Given the medium severity and the requirement for authentication, the threat is more relevant to insider threats or compromised accounts rather than external unauthenticated attackers. However, if attackers gain access to valid credentials, they could exploit this vulnerability to escalate their reconnaissance capabilities and plan more damaging attacks. Organizations in sectors with strict data protection regulations, such as finance, healthcare, and government, could face compliance risks and reputational damage if sensitive data is exposed. The lack of known exploits suggests a window for proactive defense, but also means attackers may develop exploits in the near future.

CWE-611Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessOWASP Top 10 A02:2025: Security Misconfiguration (opens in a new tab)
The product processes an XML document that can contain XML entities with URIs that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output.
Implementation · System Configuration
Many XML parsers and validators can be configured to disable external entity expansion.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Deserialization (opens in a new tab)
XML Security (opens in a new tab)
XML External Entity Prevention (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V5.5.2 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Data Serialization External Entities Blowup (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

support.opentext.com/csm?id=ot_kb_search&kb_category=61648712db61781068cfd6c4e296197b (opens in a new tab)

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 8 Jul 2025, 01:11 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-611

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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