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XML External Entity (XXE)Weakness · CWE-611

CVE-2023-42344

HIGH · 7.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
82/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Alkacon OpenCms before 10.5.1 allows remote unauthenticated attackers to obtain sensitive information via a cmis-online/query XXE attack on a Chemistry servlet.

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

Alkacon OpenCms versions before 10.5.1 contain an XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability in the Chemistry servlet's cmis-online/query endpoint. Remote unauthenticated attackers can exploit this to read sensitive files and information from the server by injecting malicious XML entities into queries.

MitigationUpgrade to OpenCms version 10.5.1 or later. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, disable or restrict access to the Chemistry servlet and implement XML parser hardening to disable external entity processing.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/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 OpenCms installation version
    Locate the OpenCms version identifier in the deployment - check the WAR file manifest, WEB-INF/lib directory for versioned jar files, or the admin dashboard system information page
    Affected if The installed version is earlier than 10.5.1 (e.g., 10.5.0, 10.0.x, 9.x)
  2. Verify Chemistry servlet is deployed
    Inspect the deployed web application for the Chemistry servlet component - this is typically found in the web.xml descriptor under org.apache.chemistry.opencmis namespace or as part of the OpenCms core application
    Affected if The Chemistry servlet class (typically handling CMIS endpoints) exists in the deployed application
  3. Confirm cmis-online endpoint is accessible
    Attempt to access the endpoint path /cms/alkacon-omc-cmis-web/services/cmis-online/query or inspect web.xml routing configuration for cmis-online servlet mappings
    Affected if The cmis-online servlet endpoint is mapped and reachable via HTTP/HTTPS without authentication
  4. Check XML parser configuration for XXE protection
    Review the XML parser configuration used by the Chemistry servlet - examine the web.xml init parameters and any related Spring or Java XML configuration files for external entity processing settings
    Affected if External entity processing is not explicitly disabled in the XML parser configuration (DTD external entities allowed)
  5. Review network exposure of the endpoint
    Verify whether the servlet container hosting OpenCms binds the application to an IP address accessible to unauthenticated network attackers (e.g., exposed to internet or untrusted networks)
    Affected if The cmis-online/query endpoint is reachable by remote unauthenticated attackers without firewall or authentication barriers

A user is affected if OpenCms version is below 10.5.1 AND the Chemistry servlet cmis-online/query endpoint is accessible to remote attackers with XML request capability.

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

Upgrade to OpenCms version 10.5.1 or later. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, disable or restrict access to the Chemistry servlet and implement XML parser hardening to disable external entity processing.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Alkacon OpenCms 10.5.1

  1. 1. Backup the current Alkacon OpenCms installation and database before proceeding.
  2. 2. Download Alkacon OpenCms version 10.5.1 or later from the official Alkacon website or GitHub repository.
  3. 3. Review the upgrade documentation for Alkacon OpenCms to understand any required migration steps.
  4. 4. Deploy the new version 10.5.1 to your production environment, following standard upgrade procedures.
  5. 5. Verify that the cmis-online/query endpoint no longer processes external entity references.
  6. 6. Test that the Chemistry servlet functions correctly after the upgrade.
  7. 7. Monitor logs for any attempted XXE attacks to confirm the vulnerability is remediated.
Caveat Review release notes for any breaking changes between your current version and 10.5.1; custom modules or integrations may require updates

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,220
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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-2023-42344 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
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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