OpenjdkApplication · Oracle

CVE-2020-14621

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-07-15

Mitigation only

No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.

See remediation →

62/100

Remediation priority · Elevated

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

Vulnerability in the Java SE, Java SE Embedded product of Oracle Java SE (component: JAXP). Supported versions that are affected are Java SE: 7u261, 8u251, 11.0.7 and 14.0.1; Java SE Embedded: 8u251. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via multiple protocols to compromise Java SE, Java SE Embedded. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Java SE, Java SE Embedded accessible data. Note: This vulnerability can only be exploited by supplying data to APIs in the specified Component without using Untrusted Java Web Start applications or Untrusted Java applets, such as through a web service. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 5.3 (Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N).

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

This is an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in Oracle Java's JAXP (Java API for XML Processing) component. An unauthenticated attacker with network access can exploit JAXP by supplying malicious XML data through APIs (e.g., via web services) to achieve unauthorized update, insert, or delete access to some accessible data.

MitigationApply Oracle's Java SE security updates for versions 7u261, 8u251, 11.0.7, and 14.0.1 (or later) to resolve this vulnerability. For systems that cannot update immediately, disable external entity processing in XML parsers using secure factory configurations.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

OpenjdkApplication

Affected:= 7= 8= 11= 11.0.1= 11.0.2= 11.0.3= 11.0.4= 11.0.5= 11.0.6= 11.0.7= 13= 13.0.1

FedoraOperating system

Affected:= 31= 32

Ubuntu LinuxOperating system

Affected:= 16.04= 18.04= 20.04

Debian LinuxOperating system

Affected:= 9.0= 10.0

JdkApplication

Affected:= 1.7.0= 1.8.0= 11.0.7= 14.0.1

JreApplication

Affected:= 1.7.0= 1.8.0= 11.0.7= 14.0.1

Epolicy OrchestratorApplication

Affected:= 5.9.0= 5.9.1= 5.10.0

LeapOperating system

Affected:= 15.1= 15.2

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges: None
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: Low
Availability: None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Identify installed Java version

Run 'java -version' or 'java -fullversion' to display the installed JRE/JDK version

Affected if The version matches Oracle JDK 1.7.0, 1.8.0, 11.0.7, 14.0.1; Oracle JRE 1.7.0, 1.8.0, 11.0.7, 14.0.1; or OpenJDK 7, 8, 11.x (11.0.1 through 11.0.7), 13, or 13.0.1
Check if JAXP XML parsing is in use

Search application code or configuration for imports of javax.xml.parsers or org.xml.sax, and look for DocumentBuilderFactory, SAXParserFactory, or TransformerFactory instantiation

Affected if The application uses JAXP APIs (DocumentBuilder, SAXParser, or Transformer) to process XML input
Determine if XML is processed from untrusted network sources

Review web service endpoints, REST APIs, file upload handlers, or any component that accepts XML input from external sources

Affected if The system accepts XML data from unauthenticated or untrusted network clients through APIs
Verify XML parser configuration for external entity processing

Inspect Java code or XML parser configuration for DocumentBuilderFactory or SAXParserFactory settings. Look for explicit disabling of external entities using features such as 'XMLConstants.ACCESS_EXTERNAL_DTD' and 'XMLConstants.ACCESS_EXTERNAL_SCHEMA' set to empty string

Affected if External entity processing is not explicitly disabled in the XML parser factory configuration
Check operating system package version (Linux)

For Fedora, run 'rpm -q java-11-openjdk' or similar. For Ubuntu/Debian, run 'dpkg -l openjdk-*' or 'apt list --installed | grep openjdk'. For openSUSE, run 'rpm -q java-11-openjdk'

Affected if The installed package version matches the affected Fedora (31, 32), Ubuntu (16.04, 18.04, 20.04), Debian (9.0, 10.0), or openSUSE (15.1, 15.2) versions containing vulnerable Java packages

You are affected if your environment runs a vulnerable Oracle Java, OpenJDK, or distribution-provided Java version AND processes XML from untrusted sources through JAXP APIs without disabling external entity processing.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

From vendor data

Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime

Mitigation

Apply Oracle's Java SE security updates for versions 7u261, 8u251, 11.0.7, and 14.0.1 (or later) to resolve this vulnerability. For systems that cannot update immediately, disable external entity processing in XML parsers using secure factory configurations.

Fix this in Openjdk Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation4.0 h
Implementation8.0 h
Testing8.0 h
Review / QA4.0 h

24.0 hours of engineering $4,160

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References

Primary sources

www.oracle.comVendor Advisory
lists.opensuse.orgMailing ListThird Party Advisory
lists.opensuse.orgMailing ListThird Party Advisory
lists.opensuse.orgMailing ListThird Party Advisory
kc.mcafee.comThird Party Advisory
lists.apache.orgThird Party Advisory
lists.debian.orgMailing ListThird Party Advisory
lists.fedoraproject.orgThird Party Advisory
lists.fedoraproject.orgThird Party Advisory
lists.fedoraproject.orgThird Party Advisory
lists.fedoraproject.orgThird Party Advisory
security.gentoo.orgThird Party Advisory
security.gentoo.orgThird Party Advisory
security.netapp.comThird Party Advisory
usn.ubuntu.comThird Party Advisory
usn.ubuntu.comThird Party Advisory
www.debian.orgMailing ListThird Party Advisory
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-14621 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2020-14621?

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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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here

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
No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data

At a glance

A fix existsA vendor remedy is published

Severity 5.3 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 4.4%

Affects: Openjdk

Remediation

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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.

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.

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.

CVSS 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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References