CVE-2025-64518VulnerabilityPublished 10 Nov 2025Updated 15 Nov 2025

Org.cyclonedx:cyclonedx core java: CycloneDX Core (Java): BOM validation is vulnerable to XML External Entity

Affects org.cyclonedx:cyclonedx-core-javaSource GCVE Database

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Authoritative record:CVE-2025-64518· High 7.5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High : upgrade to 11.0.1 soon.

Data as of 13 Nov 2026, 19:07 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

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

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

CVSS scores by source
CNA (GitHub_M)	CVSS 3.1	7.5

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
Weaponized: 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 13 Nov 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.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), 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

Upgrade org.cyclonedx:cyclonedx-core-java to 11.0.1.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Mavenorg.cyclonedx:cyclonedx-core-java	Affected >=2.1.0 <11.0.1	Fixed in 11.0.1

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

Upgrade to cyclonedx-core-java version 11.0.1 or later, where this vulnerability is fixed. If upgrading immediately is not feasible, applications should reject XML documents before passing them to the vulnerable validator, particularly if BOMs are expected in JSON format. This workaround can help mitigate the risk until the official patch is applied.

Description

CycloneDX Core Java versions from 2.1.0 up to but not including 11.0.1 contain a vulnerability in the XML Validator configuration that allows XML External Entity (XXE) injection. This vulnerability stems from incomplete fixes that addressed XML parsing but not validation. The issue is resolved in version 11.0.1. The vulnerability has a high severity with a CVSS score of 7.5 and can lead to high confidentiality impact without affecting integrity or availability.

Impact

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to disclosure of sensitive information due to XML External Entity injection during XML validation. The CVSS score of 7.5 reflects a high severity with network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, and impact limited to confidentiality. There is no impact on integrity or availability.

Summary

The CycloneDX Core Java library uses the Java XML Validator component insecurely, making it vulnerable to XML External Entity (XXE) injection attacks. Although a previous fix addressed XML parsing of BOMs, it did not secure the validation process, leaving the library exposed. This vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2025-64518 and has been fixed in version 11.0.1. The vulnerability allows an attacker to exploit the XML Validator to potentially access sensitive data, as indicated by the high confidentiality impact in the CVSS vector. The vulnerability is not known to be exploited in the wild. Workarounds include rejecting XML documents before validation, especially if BOMs are expected in JSON format.

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).

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 13 Nov 2026, 19:07 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-611

Technical details

References

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