dbcve.org
IvyApplication · Apache

CVE-2022-46751

HIGH · 8.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-08-21
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.5.2 or later.
See remediation →
91/100
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
Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference, XML Injection (aka Blind XPath Injection) vulnerability in Apache Software Foundation Apache Ivy.This issue affects any version of Apache Ivy prior to 2.5.2. When Apache Ivy prior to 2.5.2 parses XML files - either its own configuration, Ivy files or Apache Maven POMs - it will allow downloading external document type definitions and expand any entity references contained therein when used. This can be used to exfiltrate data, access resources only the machine running Ivy has access to or disturb the execution of Ivy in different ways. Starting with Ivy 2.5.2 DTD processing is disabled by default except when parsing Maven POMs where the default is to allow DTD processing but only to include a DTD snippet shipping with Ivy that is needed to deal with existing Maven POMs that are not valid XML files but are nevertheless accepted by Maven. Access can be be made more lenient via newly introduced system properties where needed. Users of Ivy prior to version 2.5.2 can use Java system properties to restrict processing of external DTDs, see the section about "JAXP Properties for External Access restrictions" inside Oracle's "Java API for XML Processing (JAXP) Security Guide".

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

This is an XXE (XML External Entity) vulnerability in Apache Ivy versions prior to 2.5.2. When parsing XML files (Ivy configuration, Ivy files, or Maven POMs), Ivy allows downloading external DTDs and expanding entity references, enabling attackers to exfiltrate data, access internal resources, or disrupt Ivy execution.

MitigationUpgrade to Apache Ivy 2.5.2 or later, which disables external DTD processing by default. Alternatively, use Java JAXP system properties to restrict external entity processing as documented in Oracle's JAXP Security Guide.

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
IvyApplication
Affected:< 2.5.2

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
None
Availability
Low

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

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 Ivy version in use
    Locate the ivy jar file (typically in $ANT_HOME/lib, Maven local repository ~/.m2/repository/org/apache/ivy/ivy/, or bundled with a build tool) and run 'java -jar ivy-[version].jar -version' or check the filename. If Ivy is integrated into a build tool, check the build tool's dependency declaration for ivy version.
    Affected if The reported version is earlier than 2.5.2 (e.g., 2.5.0, 2.4.0, 2.3.0, etc.)
  2. Confirm Ivy parses XML files in your workflow
    Search your project directories for Ivy files (ivy.xml, ivysettings.xml) and Maven POM files (pom.xml) that Ivy processes. Check build scripts that invoke Ivy tasks (resolve, publish, retrieve) or integrate Ivy via Java code calling ParserFactory or XmlParser classes.
    Affected if Ivy is actively parsing XML configuration files (ivy.xml, ivysettings.xml, or any POM files) using the vulnerable parsing logic.
  3. Check for external DTD/entity expansion in parsed XML
    Examine the Ivy XML files and POM files in your environment for DOCTYPE declarations referencing external DTDs, or for entity references (&entity;) that could trigger external retrieval. Use a text search for '<!DOCTYPE' and '&' characters in XML files processed by Ivy.
    Affected if The XML files being parsed contain DOCTYPE declarations pointing to external URLs or define custom entities that would be expanded during parsing.

You are affected if Apache Ivy version is earlier than 2.5.2 AND your workflow involves Ivy parsing XML files (ivy.xml, ivysettings.xml, or Maven POMs) that contain external DTD references or custom entity definitions.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.5.2 or later
Fixed in 2.5.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Apache Ivy 2.5.2 or later, which disables external DTD processing by default. Alternatively, use Java JAXP system properties to restrict external entity processing as documented in Oracle's JAXP Security Guide.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apache Ivy 2.5.2

  1. Download Apache Ivy version 2.5.2 from the official Apache Ivy distribution (https://ant.apache.org/ivy/download.cgi) or Maven Central
  2. Replace the existing ivy-[version].jar file in your project or environment with ivy-2.5.2.jar
  3. If using Maven POMs that require external DTD processing beyond the bundled DTD snippet, configure the JAXP system properties as documented in Oracle's 'JAXP Properties for External Access restrictions' to allow necessary DTD access
  4. Restart any applications or build processes that use Apache Ivy to ensure the new version is loaded
  5. Verify that your build and dependency resolution still works correctly with the new version
Caveat DTD processing is now disabled by default; if your workflow depends on external DTD processing for Ivy files or POMs beyond what the bundled DTD snippet provides, you may need to explicitly enable it via system properties

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Ivy Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,540
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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-2022-46751 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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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