CVE-2024-37388
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 · uneditedAn XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in the ebookmeta.get_metadata function of lxml before v4.9.1 allows attackers to access sensitive information or cause a Denial of Service (DoS) via crafted XML input.
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 confidenceThis is an XXE vulnerability in the lxml library's ebookmeta.get_metadata function. The function processes XML input without disabling external entity processing, allowing attackers to craft malicious XML that can exfiltrate local files or cause denial of service. The vulnerability affects all lxml versions prior to v4.9.1.
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< 4.9.1CVSS 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
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if ebookmeta package is installedRun 'pip show ebookmeta' or check your project's dependencies for the ebookmeta packageAffected if ebookmeta package is present in the environment
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Check ebookmeta versionRun 'pip show ebookmeta' and look for the Version field, or check your lock fileAffected if ebookmeta version is present and lower than 4.9.1
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Verify lxml version being used by ebookmetaRun 'pip show lxml' or check the dependency version constraints in ebookmeta's requirementsAffected if lxml version is lower than 4.9.1
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Confirm usage of get_metadata functionSearch your codebase for calls to ebookmeta.get_metadata or ebookmeta.get_metadata_from_fileAffected if The get_metadata function is being called to process XML files (such as EPUB, MOBI, or other ebook formats)
Your environment is affected if ebookmeta (or any tool using lxml's ebookmeta module) is processing XML input with lxml versions prior to 4.9.1, and the get_metadata function is actively used to parse ebook files.
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 · scoped4.9.1
Update lxml to v4.9.1 or later which includes XXE protection. Additionally, applications using ebookmeta.get_metadata should explicitly disable external entity processing in XML parsers as a defense-in-depth measure.
ebookmeta >= 4.9.1
- Upgrade ebookmeta to version 4.9.1 or later by running: pip install --upgrade ebookmeta
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the installed version: pip show ebookmeta
- If using in code, ensure your application imports and uses the updated ebookmeta.get_metadata function
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-37388 — 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-2024-37388 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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- 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
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