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CocoonApplication · Apache

CVE-2023-49733

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.3.0 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
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 vulnerability in Apache Cocoon.This issue affects Apache Cocoon: from 2.2.0 before 2.3.0. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.3.0, which fixes the issue.

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 confidence

This is an XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability in Apache Cocoon affecting versions 2.2.0 through versions before 2.3.0. The improper restriction of XML external entity references allows attackers to potentially read local files, perform Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF), or cause Denial of Service by crafting malicious XML payloads with external entity definitions.

MitigationUpgrade Apache Cocoon to version 2.3.0 or later, which includes the fix for proper XML parser configuration to prevent XXE attacks. If immediate upgrade is not possible, disable external entity processing in XML parsers used by the application.

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
CocoonApplication
Affected:>= 2.2.0, < 2.3.0

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Apache Cocoon installation location
    Locate the Apache Cocoon deployment directory or JAR files in your application server. Common locations include WEB-INF/lib, lib, or the root Cocoon directory.
    Affected if Cannot locate Cocoon installation files
  2. Determine installed Apache Cocoon version
    Check the version by inspecting the cocoon-core.jar MANIFEST.MF file, or any version.txt/VERSION files included with the deployment. Alternatively, check build.properties or pom.xml if source is available.
    Affected if Version is 2.2.0 or higher but lower than 2.3.0
  3. Identify XML parser configuration files
    Look for cocoon.xconf, cocoon-sitemap.xconf, or similar XML configuration files that define XML parser settings within the Cocoon deployment.
    Affected if No XML configuration files found or parser settings not exposed
  4. Check for external entity processing in XML parsers
    Inspect XML parser configuration for settings related to external entity processing, such as 'external-general-entities', 'external-parameter-entities', or 'dtd' processing mode.
    Affected if External entity processing is enabled or not explicitly disabled in the XML parser configuration

A user is affected if Apache Cocoon version 2.2.0 through any version before 2.3.0 is installed and the XML parser configuration allows external entity references.

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 2.3.0 or later
Fixed in 2.3.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Apache Cocoon to version 2.3.0 or later, which includes the fix for proper XML parser configuration to prevent XXE attacks. If immediate upgrade is not possible, disable external entity processing in XML parsers used by the application.

Recommended fix High confidence

2.3.0

  1. Identify the current Apache Cocoon version in use (check pom.xml, build configuration, or deployed WAR file)
  2. Review the Apache Cocoon 2.3.0 release notes to understand changes between your current version and 2.3.0
  3. Test the upgrade in a non-production/staging environment to verify compatibility
  4. Perform a full backup of the current Cocoon application, configuration files, and any data
  5. Upgrade Apache Cocoon to version 2.3.0 (update pom.xml dependency version or replace deployed WAR/JAR files)
  6. Verify the XML parser configuration in Cocoon no longer allows external entity processing (or uses a secure default)
  7. Test application functionality to ensure the upgrade does not break existing features
  8. Deploy the upgraded version to production

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

Fix this in Cocoon Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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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-2023-49733 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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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data