Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference
CVE-2026-24400
Summary
AssertJ provides Fluent testing assertions for Java and the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Starting in version 1.4.0 through 3.27.7 and 4.0.0-M1, an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability exists in `org.assertj.core.util.xml.XmlStringPrettyFormatter`: the `toXmlDocument(String)` method initializes `DocumentBuilderFactory` with default settings, without disabling DTDs or external entities. This formatter is used by the `isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence)` assertion for `CharSequence` values. An application is vulnerable only when it uses untrusted XML input with either `isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence)` from `org.assertj.core.api.AbstractCharSequenceAssert` or `xmlPrettyFormat(String)` from `org.assertj.core.util.xml.XmlStringPrettyFormatter`. If untrusted XML input is processed by tone of these methods, an attacker couldnread arbitrary local files via `file://` URIs (e.g., `/etc/passwd`, application configuration files); perform Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) via HTTP/HTTPS URIs, and/or cause Denial of Service (DoS) via "Billion Laughs" entity expansion attacks. `isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence)` has been deprecated in favor of XMLUnit in version 3.18.0 and will be removed in version 4.0 later. Users of affected versions should, in order of preference: replace `isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence)` with XMLUnit, avoid using `isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence)` or `XmlStringPrettyFormatter` with untrusted input. `XmlStringPrettyFormatter` has historically been considered a utility for `isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence)` rather than a feature for AssertJ users, so it is deprecated in version 3.27.7 and will be removed in a later 4.0 version, with no replacement.
- LOW
- LOCAL
- NONE
- LOW
CWE-611 - Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference
Listed 4th in the 'OWASP Top Ten', XML External Entities (XXE) vulnerability allows attackers to provide an XML input that contains an external entity. When the XML is parsed, it can cause data extraction and manipulation, execution of commands, denial-of-service attacks, and server-side request forgery.
References
Advisory Timeline
- Published