UimajApplication · Apache
CVE-2017-15691
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 · uneditedIn Apache uimaj prior to 2.10.2, Apache uimaj 3.0.0-xxx prior to 3.0.0-beta, Apache uima-as prior to 2.10.2, Apache uimaFIT prior to 2.4.0, Apache uimaDUCC prior to 2.2.2, this vulnerability relates to an XML external entity expansion (XXE) capability of various XML parsers. UIMA as part of its configuration and operation may read XML from various sources, which could be tainted in ways to cause inadvertent disclosure of local files or other internal content.
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 confidenceThis is an XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability in Apache UIMA components (uimaj, uima-as, uimaFIT, uimaDUCC). The application's XML parsers process untrusted XML input without disabling external entity resolution, allowing attackers to reference local files or internal systems through crafted XML documents.
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
UimajApplication
< 2.10.2= 3.0.0
Uima AsApplication
< 2.10.2
UimafitApplication
< 2.4.0
UimaduccApplication
< 2.2.2CVSS 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
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 installed UIMA components and versionsLocate UIMA JAR files or dependency declarations (Maven pom.xml, gradle files) for uimaj-core, uima-as, uimafit, or uimaducc. Use 'jar -tvf' on JAR files or inspect your dependency management system to list installed component versions.Affected if Any of these components are present with versions: uimaj < 2.10.2 or = 3.0.0; uima-as < 2.10.2; uimafit < 2.4.0; uimaducc < 2.2.2
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Check for XML processing usageSearch codebases and configuration for usage of UIMA XML parsing capabilities, specifically look for XMLInputFactory, DocumentBuilder, SAXParser, or similar XML parser instantiations within UIMA components processing descriptor files or analysis engine configurations.Affected if The application uses UIMA components that parse XML descriptors or accept XML input from users or external sources without XXE protection configured
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Inspect XML parser configurationReview XML parser initialization code in your UIMA deployment. Check whether the XML parsers have explicitly disabled external entities via properties such as 'XMLConstants.ACCESS_EXTERNAL_DTD', 'XMLConstants.ACCESS_EXTERNAL_SCHEMA', or feature 'http://apache.org/xml/features/disallow-doctype-decl' being set.Affected if XML parsers used by UIMA are configured with default settings that allow external entity resolution, or no explicit XXE protection is found in parser configurations
You are affected if any UIMA component (uimaj, uima-as, uimafit, or uimaducc) with a version matching the affected ranges is installed and processes untrusted XML input with default parser settings that permit external entity resolution.
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 data2.2.22.4.02.10.2
Disable external entity processing in all XML parsers used by UIMA components and upgrade to patched versions (uimaj 2.10.2+, uimaFIT 2.4.0+, uimaDUCC 2.2.2+).
Fix this in Uimaj
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-15691 — 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-2017-15691 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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