Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-46502

XXE in Opencrx 5.2.2

XXESSRF
Published
30 October 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.8
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:H
EPSS Score 0.0072 51th percentile
Risk Priority 73 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-46502 is a critical-severity Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (CWE-611) vulnerability in Opencrx Opencrx. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 49% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A01:2025 Broken Access ControlA02:2025 Security Misconfiguration

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

An issue in openCRX v.5.2.2 allows a remote attacker to read internal files and execute server side request forgery attack via insecure DocumentBuilderFactory.

CWE(s)
CWE-611CWE-918

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1005 Data from Local System Collection
Adversaries may search local system sources, such as file systems, configuration files, local databases, virtual machine files, or process memory, to find files of interest and sensitive data prior to Exfiltration.
attack.mitre.org →
T1213 Data from Information Repositories Collection
Adversaries may leverage information repositories to mine valuable information.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-40813Same product: Opencrx Opencrx
CVE-2023-27150Same product: Opencrx Opencrx
CVE-2023-40817Same product: Opencrx Opencrx
CVE-2023-40814Same product: Opencrx Opencrx
CVE-2023-40810Same product: Opencrx Opencrx
CVE-2023-40812Same product: Opencrx Opencrx
CVE-2023-27151Same product: Opencrx Opencrx
CVE-2023-40816Same product: Opencrx Opencrx
CVE-2023-40815Same product: Opencrx Opencrx
CVE-2023-40809Same product: Opencrx Opencrx

Affected Assets

opencrx
opencrx
5.2.2

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
  • V1.3.6
  • V1.5.3

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 CWE-918

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

SI-4 System Monitoring
addresses: CWE-611 CWE-918

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

SC-7 Boundary Protection
addresses: CWE-918

Outbound connections to external resources can be monitored and limited at the boundary, reducing SSRF impact.

SI-10 Information Input Validation
addresses: CWE-918

Validates server-side URLs and resource references to block SSRF attempts.

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.

DE.CM-09 partial match
prevents

Runtime monitoring of web applications and services can detect anomalous outbound requests indicative of SSRF.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

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

PR.IR-01 partial match
prevents

Network segmentation and egress controls can limit the damage from successful SSRF requests.

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
finds

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

A.8.8 Management of technical vulnerabilities mostly match
finds

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

A.5.7 Threat intelligence partial match
prevents

Operational threat data describing SSRF campaigns can be used to tighten outbound-request allow-lists and detection rules before attackers exploit them.

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.

References