CVE-2023-28152
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in Independentsoft JWord before 1.1.110. The API is prone to XML external entity (XXE) injection via a remote DTD in a DOCX file.
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 confidenceIndependentsoft JWord library (versions before 1.1.110) is vulnerable to XML external entity (XXE) injection. The API processes DOCX files containing remote DTD references, allowing attackers to inject malicious XML external entities by supplying a crafted DOCX file with a remote DTD declaration.
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< 1.1.110CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify JWord library versionLocate the independentsoft-jword JAR file in your application classpath or build dependencies (e.g., check pom.xml, build.gradle, or the lib/ directory). Query the JAR manifest or consult your dependency management system for the exact version number.Affected if Version is below 1.1.110
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Confirm JWord DOCX processing is in useReview application code or configuration to determine if Independentsoft JWord is used to open, parse, or convert DOCX files. Look for imports such as 'com.independentsoft.word.Document' or similar JWord API calls.Affected if JWord processes DOCX files, especially from external or untrusted sources
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Check XML parser configurationInspect how the application configures the XML parser used by JWord. Look for properties that control external entity resolution, such as 'javax.xml.XMLConstants.FEATURE_SECURE_PROCESSING' or custom XMLReader/SAXParserFactory settings.Affected if External entity resolution is not explicitly disabled (most default XML parsers allow external entities)
You are affected if your application runs Independentsoft JWord version below 1.1.110 and processes DOCX files using the library, particularly from untrusted or external sources.
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 · scoped1.1.110
Upgrade Independentsoft JWord to version 1.1.110 or later which contains the XXE vulnerability fix.
1.1.110
- 1. Identify all deployments and applications using Independentsoft JWord
- 2. Check the current JWord version in use (consult project dependencies or runtime information)
- 3. Locate all references to the JWord library in dependency management files (e.g., pom.xml, build.gradle, package.json)
- 4. Update the JWord dependency to version 1.1.110 or later
- 5. Rebuild and recompile the application with the updated dependency
- 6. Test the application to verify the upgrade does not introduce regressions
- 7. Redeploy the updated application to all affected environments
- 8. Verify the fix by testing DOCX file processing to confirm XXE is no longer exploitable
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-28152 — 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-2023-28152 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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