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Netweaver Process IntegrationApplication · Sap

CVE-2021-27604

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-04-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 · unedited
In order to prevent XML External Entity vulnerability in SAP NetWeaver ABAP Server and ABAP Platform (Process Integration - Enterprise Service Repository JAVA Mappings), versions - 7.10, 7.20, 7.30, 7.31, 7.40, 7.50, SAP recommends to refer this note.

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 · moderate confidence

XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in SAP NetWeaver ABAP Server and ABAP Platform's Process Integration - Enterprise Service Repository Java Mappings. The vulnerability exists due to improper configuration of XML parsers, allowing attackers to inject malicious external entity references to access internal resources or cause denial of service.

MitigationApply the SAP security note referenced in the advisory to disable external entity processing in the Java XML mappings. This typically involves configuring the XML parser to disable DTD processing and external entity resolution.

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
Netweaver Process IntegrationApplication
Affected:= 7.10= 7.20= 7.30= 7.31= 7.40= 7.50

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.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/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 checks

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

  1. Identify SAP NetWeaver Process Integration version
    Execute transaction SM37 or use SAP MII version checker to determine the installed SAP NetWeaver Process Integration version. Check system information via SAP System Monitoring or transaction SXMB_MONI for PI version display.
    Affected if The installed version matches 7.10, 7.20, 7.30, 7.31, 7.40, or 7.50 exactly as listed in the affected versions.
  2. Verify Enterprise Service Repository Java Mappings are in use
    Access SAP NetWeaver Process Integration Administration (SAP PI) and check if Enterprise Service Repository (ESR) with Java Mapping objects is configured or active. Use transaction SXMB_IFR to access the Integration Repository and look for deployed Java Mapping archives.
    Affected if Java Mapping objects exist in the ESR or Java Mapping runtime is actively used within PI ESR.
  3. Inspect XML parser configuration for external entity settings
    Locate the XML parser configuration files used by the Java Mapping runtime in SAP PI. These are typically found in the SAP NetWeaver AS Java configuration directories (e.g., in the /usr/sap/<SID>/<instance>/j2ee/cluster or similar paths) or check parser settings via the SAP NetWeaver Administrator (NWA) under XML parser configuration.
    Affected if The XML parser configuration has not disabled DTD processing and external entity resolution - external entities are allowed or not explicitly set to false.
  4. Review Java Mapping deployment descriptors
    Check the deployment descriptors (web.xml, application-j2ee.xml) for the Java Mapping applications deployed in the SAP NetWeaver AS Java. Look for XML parser initialization parameters that control entity resolution.
    Affected if Parser configurations in deployment descriptors allow external entity processing or do not explicitly disable DOCTYPE processing.

The environment is affected if it runs SAP NetWeaver Process Integration versions 7.10 through 7.50, has Enterprise Service Repository Java Mappings deployed, and the XML parser configuration permits external entity or DTD processing.

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

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the SAP security note referenced in the advisory to disable external entity processing in the Java XML mappings. This typically involves configuring the XML parser to disable DTD processing and external entity resolution.

Fix this in Netweaver Process Integration Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,380
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-27604 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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