VulnerabilityPublished 10 Nov 2025Updated 12 Nov 2025

CVE-2025-64518: cyclonedx-core-java · XML External Entity (XXE)

Affects cyclonedx-core-javaSource CVE Database V5

Mentioned vulnerabilities

CVE-2024-38374

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High · fixed in 11.0.1 : patch cyclonedx-core-java soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

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

EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 33% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 11.0.1

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
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: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
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 10 Nov 2025
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 26 Oct 2026.

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 or the CVSS exploit maturity 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
Mavenorg.cyclonedx/cyclonedx-core-java`pkg:maven/org.cyclonedx/cyclonedx-core-java`Other threats	Affected =2.1.0 =11.0.1	Fixed in–

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AI-suggested

Upgrade cyclonedx-core-java to version 11.0.1 or later immediately, as this version contains the complete fix for the XXE vulnerability in XML validation.
If upgrading is not immediately feasible, implement input validation to reject or sanitize XML SBOM documents before they reach the vulnerable validator component.
Prefer using JSON format SBOMs where possible, as the vulnerability does not affect JSON processing.
Employ XML parsing libraries and validators configured to disable external entity resolution and DTD processing to prevent XXE attacks.
Conduct code reviews and dependency audits to identify and remediate any other usages of vulnerable XML processing components.
Monitor SBOM ingestion pipelines for anomalous XML inputs that could indicate exploitation attempts.
Educate development and security teams about the risks of XXE and secure XML handling best practices.
Integrate automated dependency scanning tools that flag vulnerable versions of cyclonedx-core-java to prevent future usage.
Review and update incident response plans to include scenarios involving SBOM supply chain compromise.
Collaborate with software vendors and partners to ensure they have applied the fix and are not introducing vulnerable SBOMs into your environment.

Description

The CycloneDX core module provides a model representation of the SBOM along with utilities to assist in creating, validating, and parsing SBOMs. Starting in version 2.1.0 and prior to version 11.0.1, 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 was incomplete in that it only fixed parsing of XML BOMs, but not validation. The vulnerability has been fixed in cyclonedx-core-java version 11.0.1. As a workaround, 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.

Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality of sensitive information processed in SBOM workflows. Since CycloneDX is a popular standard for SBOMs used in software supply chain security, many enterprises and software vendors rely on cyclonedx-core-java for SBOM generation and validation. Exploitation could allow attackers to read arbitrary files or internal configuration data on systems processing malicious SBOM XML inputs, potentially exposing intellectual property, credentials, or other sensitive data. This risk is heightened in sectors with stringent data protection requirements such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure. Additionally, supply chain security tools that integrate CycloneDX could be leveraged as attack vectors, undermining trust in software provenance. The vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability directly but can facilitate further attacks by leaking confidential information. Given the remote, unauthenticated exploitability and no user interaction required, the threat is practical and urgent to address. Organizations processing XML SBOMs should prioritize patching or mitigating this vulnerability to maintain compliance with European data protection regulations and secure software supply chains.

Summary

CVE-2025-64518 affects the cyclonedx-core-java library, which is widely used for creating, validating, and parsing Software Bill of Materials (SBOMs) in XML and JSON formats. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-611, indicating improper restriction of XML External Entity references. Specifically, from version 2.1.0 through versions prior to 11.0.1, the XML Validator component within the library was not securely configured to disable external entity resolution during XML validation. This misconfiguration allows an attacker to craft malicious XML documents containing external entity references that, when processed by the vulnerable validator, can lead to disclosure of local files or internal system information. The vulnerability is exploitable remotely without authentication or user interaction, as the library is typically used in automated SBOM processing pipelines. Although a previous fix (CVE-2024-38374) addressed XML parsing, it did not secure the validation step, leaving this attack vector open until version 11.0.1. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.5, indicating a high severity due to the potential for sensitive data exposure. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, but the risk remains significant given the widespread adoption of CycloneDX in supply chain security tooling. As a temporary mitigation, applications can reject XML SBOM inputs or prefer JSON formats before passing data to the vulnerable validator. The definitive solution is upgrading to cyclonedx-core-java version 11.0.1 or later, where the XML Validator is properly hardened against XXE attacks.

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

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 17 Nov 2025, 23:07 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-611

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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