CVE-2023-42346
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 · uneditedAlkacon OpenCms before 16 allows XXE when the <!DOCTYPE> refers to an external host.
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 · moderate confidenceAlkacon OpenCms versions prior to 16 are vulnerable to XML External Entity (XXE) injection. The application parses XML input containing <!DOCTYPE> declarations that reference external hosts, allowing attackers to inject malicious external entity definitions to read sensitive files, perform Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF), or cause Denial of Service.
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
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 if Alkacon OpenCms is installedLook for OpenCms web application files, check application name in web server logs, or search for opencms-related files in the webroot directory.Affected if Alkacon OpenCms is present in the environment
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Determine the installed OpenCms versionCheck the version file or manifest included with the installation, typically found in the OpenCms installation directory or WAR file.Affected if The version is lower than 16 (e.g., 15.x, 14.x, or earlier releases)
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Verify XML import or upload functionality is accessibleCheck if the OpenCms XML import feature or file upload module is enabled and accessible to users.Affected if XML import/upload features are enabled and available to users
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Confirm XML parser configuration lacks XXE protectionReview the XML parser settings in the OpenCms configuration files to determine if external entity and DTD processing are disabled.Affected if XML parsers are configured to allow external entity and DTD processing
A user is affected if Alkacon OpenCms versions prior to 16 are installed and XML import/upload functionality is accessible with parsers allowing external entities.
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 · scopedUpgrade to Alkacon OpenCms version 16 or later which includes XXE protection, or configure XML parsers to disable external entity and DTD processing.
Alkacon OpenCms 16
- 1. Back up your current Alkacon OpenCms installation and database
- 2. Review the official Alkacon OpenCms upgrade documentation for migrating to version 16
- 3. Upgrade Alkacon OpenCms from your current version to version 16 or later
- 4. After upgrade, verify that the XML parsing configuration disables external entity processing to prevent XXE
- 5. Test the XML import/upload functionality to confirm the vulnerability is remediated
- 6. Monitor Alkacon OpenCms security advisories for any subsequent updates
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-42346 — 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-2023-42346 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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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.
- 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