CycloneDX Core (Java): BOM validation is vulnerable to XML External Entity injection
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Information disclosure
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · None · None
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 2 fixed, 4 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-611 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
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.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CycloneDX | cyclonedx-core-java | 2.1.0 to before 11.0.1 | 11.0.1 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | org.cyclonedx:cyclonedx-core-java (Maven) | 2.1.0 to before 11.0.1 | 11.0.1 | Patch available | GHSA-6fhj-vr9j-g45r |
- cyclonedx-core-java VendorCycloneDX Affected 2.1.0 to before 11.0.1 Fixed in 11.0.1 Patch available CNA
- org.cyclonedx:cyclonedx-core-java (Maven) Vendor— Affected 2.1.0 to before 11.0.1 Fixed in 11.0.1 Patch available GHSA-6fhj-vr9j-g45r
Remediation
- Fix · CNA cyclonedx-core-java (CycloneDX) Fixed in 11.0.1
- Fix · GHSA-6fhj-vr9j-g45r org.cyclonedx:cyclonedx-core-java (Maven) Fixed in 11.0.1 Advisory →
Red Hat 2 advisories
- RHSA-2025:22622 Released 2025-12-04 · Red Hat rating ImportantRed Hat build of Quarkus 3.27.1 release and security update
- Red Hat build of Quarkus 3.27.1.redhat org.cyclonedx.cyclonedx-core-java-11.0.1.redhat-00001.jar
- RHSA-2025:22195 Released 2025-12-01 · Red Hat rating ImportantRed Hat build of Quarkus 3.20.4 release and security update
- Red Hat build of Quarkus 3.20.4.redhat org.cyclonedx.cyclonedx-core-java-11.0.1.redhat-00001.jar
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat build of Apache Camel for Spring Boot 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat build of Apicurio Registry 2 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat build of Apicurio Registry 3 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat build of Debezium 3 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat build of Quarkus 3.20.4.redhat | Fixed | RHSA-2025:22195 |
| Red Hat build of Quarkus 3.27.1.redhat | Fixed | RHSA-2025:22622 |
Not affected: 11 products
- Cryostat 4
- Red Hat AMQ Clients
- Red Hat Data Grid 8
- Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 7
- Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 8
- Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform Expansion Pack
- Red Hat build of Apache Camel - HawtIO 4
- Red Hat build of Quarkus 3.20.4.redhat
- Red Hat build of Quarkus 3.27.1.redhat
- streams for Apache Kafka 2
- streams for Apache Kafka 3
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-64518
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-6fhj-vr9j-g45r
- 2026-10-20 Fix available: Red Hat build of Quarkus 3.20.4.redhat, Red Hat build of Quarkus 3.27.1.redhat · Red Hat
References
Other 6
- https://github.com/CycloneDX/cyclonedx-core-java/security/advisories/GHSA-6fhj-vr9j-g45r
- 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
More CycloneDX vulnerabilities
- TI-2024-25631 Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in org.cyclonedx:cyclonedx-core-java CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2024-22686 @cyclonedx/cyclonedx-library Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference vulnerability CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.1
- TI-2026-50119 @cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm: Shell Injection via Unsanitized --workspace Argument on Windows CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.5
- TI-2026-40311 @cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm: Shell Injection via Unsanitized `--workspace` Argument CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.5
- TI-2022-08588 Improper Input Validation leading to Path Traversal in CycloneDX BOM Repository Server CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.1
Sources
- CVE-2025-64518 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-64518 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-6fhj-vr9j-g45r · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-64518 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences