Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:NSummary
CVE-2023-29443 is a medium-severity Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (CWE-611) vulnerability in Zohocorp Manageengine Assetexplorer. Its CVSS base score is 4.9 (Medium).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 14% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
Zoho ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus before version 14105, ServiceDesk Plus MSP before 14200, SupportCenter Plus before 14200, and AssetExplorer before 6989 contain an XML external entity vulnerability. The flaw resides in the Reports integration API endpoint, which processes XML responses from an attacker-controlled server without proper restrictions, allowing SDAdmin users to trigger XXE parsing.
An authenticated SDAdmin attacker can supply a crafted server endpoint that returns malformed XML, enabling the application to retrieve and expose sensitive internal files or resources over the network. The attack requires high privileges and targets confidentiality only, consistent with the CVSS 4.9 rating and CWE-611 classification.
Vendor advisories at https://www.manageengine.com/products/service-desk/CVE-2023-29443.html recommend upgrading the affected products to the fixed releases listed in the description to eliminate the vulnerable XML handling code.
The associated EPSS score has remained flat at 0.0583 with no material increase since disclosure.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-33012
Vulnerability Data
Zoho ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus before 14105, ServiceDesk Plus MSP before 14200, SupportCenter Plus before 14200, and AssetExplorer before 6989 allow SDAdmin attackers to conduct XXE attacks via a crafted server that sends malformed XML from a Reports integration API endpoint.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V1.5.1V15.3.2
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.
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.
Hardened XML parser configurations directly disable external entity resolution.
Secure SDLC practices include input validation and safe XML parser configuration that prevent XXE.
Vulnerability scanning can discover XXE flaws but does not prevent their introduction in code.
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.
Security testing in development catches XXE via static analysis and dynamic XML fuzzing.
Vulnerability management identifies and patches XML libraries with unsafe default entity settings.
Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and entity handling that directly prevents XXE.
Application security requirements explicitly call for disabling external entity processing in XML parsers.
Secure architecture principles include safe parser configuration that mitigates external entity risks.
Secure coding standards require disabling DTDs and external entities in XML processing.