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Eclipse IdeApplication · Eclipse

CVE-2023-4218

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.13.2400 / 3.29.0 or later.
See remediation →
50/100
Remediation priority · Moderate
Public exploit Patch available

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 Eclipse IDE versions < 2023-09 (4.29) some files with xml content are parsed vulnerable against all sorts of XXE attacks. The user just needs to open any evil project or update an open project with a vulnerable file (for example for review a foreign repository or patch).

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
How this class of weakness works · CWE-611

An XML parser processes external entity references inside untrusted documents, letting an attacker read local files, reach internal systems, or exhaust resources. It's a common trap in anything that accepts XML. The fix is to disable external entities and DTD processing in the parser.

General guidance for the xml external entity (xxe) class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

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
Eclipse IdeApplication
Affected:< 4.29
Org.eclipse.core.runtimeApplication
Affected:< 3.29.0
PdeApplication
Affected:< 3.13.2400

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

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

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 3.13.2400 / 3.29.0 / 4.29 or later
Fixed in 3.13.24003.29.04.29
Vendor patch github.com →
Recommended fix High confidence

Eclipse IDE 4.29 (2023-09) or later

  1. Check current Eclipse IDE version via Help > About Eclipse IDE
  2. If version is below 4.29 (2023-09), download Eclipse IDE 4.29 or later from https://www.eclipse.org/downloads/
  3. Back up your workspace(s) and any custom configurations
  4. Uninstall the current Eclipse IDE installation
  5. Install Eclipse IDE 4.29 (2023-09) or the latest stable version
  6. Restore your workspace(s) from backup
Caveat Minor - workspace compatibility should be preserved but backup is recommended

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

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $2,850. Get the upgrade done

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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-2023-4218 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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