dbcve.org
JenaApplication · Apache

CVE-2022-28890

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-05-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
A vulnerability in the RDF/XML parser of Apache Jena allows an attacker to cause an external DTD to be retrieved. This issue affects Apache Jena version 4.4.0 and prior versions. Apache Jena 4.2.x and 4.3.x do not allow external entities.

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 confidence

An XXE (XML External Entity) vulnerability in Apache Jena's RDF/XML parser (versions 4.4.0 and prior) allows attackers to cause the parser to retrieve external DTDs, potentially leading to SSRF attacks or disclosure of internal resources. This is a regression as versions 4.2.x and 4.3.x properly disabled external entities.

MitigationUpgrade Apache Jena to a patched version or ensure the XML parser is configured to disable external entity and DTD processing. If upgrade is not immediately possible, disable external entity resolution in the XML parser configuration.

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
JenaApplication
Affected:= 4.4.0

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/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 checks

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

  1. Identify Apache Jena installation
    Locate the Jena jar files in your application classpath or dependencies (typically named jena-core-*.jar, jena-fuseki-main-*.jar, or managed via Maven/Gradle dependencies)
    Affected if Apache Jena is present in the environment
  2. Determine Apache Jena version
    Check the version string in the Jena jar filename, pom.xml, or build.gradle dependencies (look for jena-core or jena-fuseki-main version 4.4.0 or earlier)
    Affected if The installed version is 4.4.0 or any version 4.3.0 through 4.4.0 (the vulnerable range where the regression exists)
  3. Identify RDF/XML input processing
    Search code for usage of RDF/XML parsing APIs: Rio.parse() with RDFXMLParserFactory, Model.read() with RDF/XML format, or any calls loading RDF data from XML sources
    Affected if The application parses RDF/XML input from untrusted sources
  4. Check XML parser external entity configuration
    Inspect XMLReader or DocumentBuilder settings used by the RDF/XML parser - verify whether the XMLConstants.ACCESS_EXTERNAL_DTD and ACCESS_EXTERNAL_SCHEMA properties are set to allow or restrict external entity resolution
    Affected if External DTD and schema access is permitted in the parser configuration (not explicitly disabled)
  5. Verify XML parser DTD processing setting
    Examine whether the XML parser has FEATURE_SECURE_PROCESSING enabled and DTD processing disabled (setDTDHandler, setEntityResolver configurations)
    Affected if DTD processing is enabled or the entity resolver permits external entity resolution

You are affected if Apache Jena version 4.4.0 or earlier is installed AND your application processes RDF/XML input from untrusted sources AND the XML parser has not been explicitly configured to disable external entity and 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

Upgrade Apache Jena to a patched version or ensure the XML parser is configured to disable external entity and DTD processing. If upgrade is not immediately possible, disable external entity resolution in the XML parser configuration.

Fix this in Jena Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,888.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-28890 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2022-28890 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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