Jboss Enterprise Application PlatformApplication · Redhat
CVE-2014-3530
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe org.picketlink.common.util.DocumentUtil.getDocumentBuilderFactory method in PicketLink, as used in Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (JBEAP) 5.2.0 and 6.2.4, expands entity references, which allows remote attackers to read arbitrary code and possibly have other unspecified impact via unspecified vectors, related to an XML External Entity (XXE) issue.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidencePicketLink's DocumentUtil.getDocumentBuilderFactory method does not disable XML entity reference expansion, allowing XML External Entity (XXE) attacks. An attacker can craft malicious XML with external entity references to read arbitrary files from the server filesystem, potentially executing arbitrary code.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Jboss Enterprise Application PlatformApplication
= 5.2.0= 6.2.4CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify JBoss EAP installationLocate the JBoss installation directory and check the version. In the main JBoss directory, look for a version.txt, or check the product.conf file in the bin directory, or run: java -jar jboss-version.jar if available. Common paths: $JBOSS_HOME/bin/version.sh or check $JBOSS_HOME/readme.txtAffected if The installed JBoss EAP version is 5.2.0 or 6.2.4
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Find PicketLink library filesSearch for PicketLink JAR files in the JBoss deployment. Common locations: $JBOSS_HOME/server/<profile>/deploy/ or $JBOSS_HOME/lib/. Run: find $JBOSS_HOME -name 'picketlink*.jar' 2>/dev/nullAffected if PicketLink JAR files are present in the JBoss deployment directory
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Check PicketLink versionIf PicketLink JAR is found, inspect its manifest or filename for version info. Run: unzip -p <picketlink-jar> META-INF/MANIFEST.MF | grep -i versionAffected if PicketLink version is unpatched (versions prior to the fix for CVE-2014-3530)
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Identify XML parsing code pathsSearch application code for usage of DocumentUtil.getDocumentBuilderFactory. Search source or decompiled classes for: import org.picketlink.*; DocumentUtil.getDocumentBuilderFactory()Affected if Application code uses PicketLink's DocumentUtil class for XML parsing operations
The environment is affected if running JBoss EAP 5.2.0 or 6.2.4 with PicketLink present and its DocumentUtil class is being used to parse untrusted XML content.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataConfigure the DocumentBuilderFactory to disable external entities and DTD processing by setting FEATURE_SECURE_PROCESSING and disabling external DTDs, or upgrade to a PicketLink version that addresses this XXE vulnerability.
Fix this in Jboss Enterprise Application Platform
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing5.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,464.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-3530 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-3530 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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