CVE-2018-1000652
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 · uneditedJabRef version <=4.3.1 contains a XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in MsBibImporter XML Parser that can result in disclosure of confidential data, denial of service, server side request forgery, port scanning. This attack appear to be exploitable via Specially crafted MsBib file. This vulnerability appears to have been fixed in after commit 89f855d.
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 confidenceJabRef versions 4.3.1 and earlier contain an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in the MsBibImporter XML parser. By crafting a malicious MsBib XML file with external entity references, attackers can read local files from the server, cause denial of service, perform server-side request forgery, or conduct port scanning against internal infrastructure.
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<= 4.3.1CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
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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Check JabRef versionLaunch JabRef and navigate to Help > About, or check the application executable version propertyAffected if The version number displayed is 4.3.1 or lower
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Confirm MsBibImporter is accessibleLook for MsBib import option in File > Import menu, or check if the MsBibImporter class file exists in the JabRef installation directory under lib or similar folderAffected if The MsBib import functionality is present and available for use
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Verify XML import capabilityAttempt to access the import dialog or check if XML parsing functionality is enabled in the JabRef configurationAffected if XML-based import features including MsBib are enabled in the application
A user is affected if they are running JabRef version 4.3.1 or earlier AND have access to the MsBibImporter functionality, as the XXE vulnerability exists in that XML parser component.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade JabRef to a version after commit 89f855d which contains the XXE fix. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, disable the MsBibImporter functionality or implement XML input validation/sanitization to reject documents with external entity declarations.
JabRef 5.0 or later (any version after the fix in commit 89f855d)
- 1. Backup your JabRef database (.bib files) before upgrading
- 2. Uninstall the current JabRef version <= 4.3.1
- 3. Download JabRef version 5.0 or later from the official website (https://www.jabref.org/)
- 4. Install the new version
- 5. Open your existing .bib files in the new version to verify functionality
- 6. If using MsBibImporter, verify that importing MsBib files works correctly with the updated parser
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,568.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-1000652 — 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-2018-1000652 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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