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Formatting Objects ProcessorApplication · Apache

CVE-2024-28168

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
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
Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference ('XXE') vulnerability in Apache XML Graphics FOP. This issue affects Apache XML Graphics FOP: 2.9. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.10, 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 · high confidence

Apache XML Graphics FOP 2.9 contains an XXE (XML External Entity) vulnerability in its XML processing functionality. This allows attackers to craft malicious XML documents with external entity references that can cause the parser to disclose local files, perform SSRF attacks, or cause denial of service by reading internal resources or triggering infinite loops.

MitigationUpgrade Apache XML Graphics FOP from version 2.9 to version 2.10, which contains the fix for the XXE vulnerability. Ensure all XML processing paths are tested after the upgrade.

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
Formatting Objects ProcessorApplication
Affected:= 2.9

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 checks

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

  1. Confirm Apache FOP is installed
    Search for fop JAR files (e.g., fop-2.9.jar, fop-core-2.9.jar) in your application directories, libraries, or check your build configuration (pom.xml, build.gradle) for FOP dependencies
    Affected if FOP version 2.9 is found in your environment
  2. Verify the exact FOP version
    If FOP JAR files exist, check the filename or inspect the JAR manifest (META-INF/MANIFEST.MF) for the Implementation-Version attribute
    Affected if The version resolves to exactly 2.9
  3. Identify XML processing usage
    Search your codebase for FOP API calls that process XML input, such as FopFactory.newInstance(), FOUserAgent, or XML-based template processing (FO files, XSLT transformations passed to FOP)
    Affected if Your application uses FOP to render XML or XSL:FO content from external or untrusted sources
  4. Check for external entity resolution in XML parsers
    Review your Java code or configuration where XML parsers are configured for FOP processing. Look for DocumentBuilderFactory, SAXParserFactory, or XMLReader settings that may have disabled external entity processing
    Affected if XXE protections (disabling external entities, DTD processing) are NOT explicitly configured and FOP processes untrusted XML input

You are affected if Apache FOP version 2.9 is installed and your application uses it to process XML content from external or untrusted sources without explicit XXE protection in the parser configuration.

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 Apache XML Graphics FOP from version 2.9 to version 2.10, which contains the fix for the XXE vulnerability. Ensure all XML processing paths are tested after the upgrade.

Recommended fix High confidence

2.10

  1. Download Apache XML Graphics FOP version 2.10 from the official Apache XML Graphics project repository
  2. Replace the existing FOP 2.9 installation with version 2.10
  3. Verify the upgrade by checking the FOP version number
  4. Test that existing FO (Formatting Objects) processing workflows continue to function correctly after the upgrade

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

Fix this in Formatting Objects Processor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,140
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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-2024-28168 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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