Cyber Resilience

CVE-2012-3363

XXE in Zend Framework 1.0.0 – 1.11.12

High EPSSXXE
Published
13 February 2013
Modified
29 April 2026
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.1
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
EPSS Score 0.50 99th percentile
Risk Priority 85 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2012-3363 is a critical-severity Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (CWE-611) vulnerability in Zend Zend Framework. Its CVSS base score is 9.1 (Critical).

Operationally, ranked in the top 1% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A02:2025 Security Misconfiguration

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Zend_XmlRpc in Zend Framework 1.x before 1.11.12 and 1.12.x before 1.12.0 does not properly handle SimpleXMLElement classes, which allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files or create TCP connections via an external entity reference in a DOCTYPE element in an…

more

XML-RPC request, aka an XML external entity (XXE) injection attack.

CWE(s)
CWE-611

Related Threats

Likely ATT&CK TechniquesAI

Techniques this vulnerability likely enables, inferred from its description, weakness type, and attributed-actor tradecraft. Confidence is per-technique.

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Accessconfidence: HIGH
XXE in the public-facing Zend_XmlRpc component directly enables remote file read and arbitrary TCP connections via crafted XML-RPC requests.
attack.mitre.org →
T1005 Data from Local System Collectionconfidence: HIGH
Successful XXE exploitation allows the attacker to read arbitrary local files on the server.
attack.mitre.org →
inferred from description + CWE · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

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Affected Assets

zend
zend framework
1.12.0 · 1.0.0 — 1.11.12
fedoraproject
fedora
17, 18
debian
debian linux
6.0

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.5.1
  • V15.3.2

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

CA-8 Penetration Testing
addresses: CWE-611

Penetration testing includes XML external entity payloads, detecting XXE vulnerabilities and enabling their mitigation.

SI-4 System Monitoring
addresses: CWE-611

Identifies XML external entity processing via monitoring of unusual file/network access or resource usage.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-01 mostly match
prevents

Hardened XML parser configurations directly disable external entity resolution.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices include input validation and safe XML parser configuration that prevent XXE.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability scanning can discover XXE flaws but does not prevent their introduction in code.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching eliminates XXE-vulnerable parser versions but is only one aspect of software maintenance.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
detects

Security testing in development catches XXE via static analysis and dynamic XML fuzzing.

A.8.8 Management of technical vulnerabilities mostly match
detects

Vulnerability management identifies and patches XML libraries with unsafe default entity settings.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and entity handling that directly prevents XXE.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements explicitly call for disabling external entity processing in XML parsers.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure architecture principles include safe parser configuration that mitigates external entity risks.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Secure coding standards require disabling DTDs and external entities in XML processing.

References