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XML External Entity (XXE)Weakness · CWE-611

CVE-2024-55887

HIGH · 8.6 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
95/100
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
Ucum-java is a FHIR Java library providing UCUM Services. In versions prior to 1.0.9, XML parsing performed by the UcumEssenceService is vulnerable to XML external entity injections. A processed XML file with a malicious DTD tag could produce XML containing data from the host system. This impacts use cases where ucum is being used to within a host where external clients can submit XML. Release 1.0.9 of Ucum-java fixes this vulnerability. As a workaround, ensure that the source xml for instantiating UcumEssenceService is trusted.

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

Ucum-java versions prior to 1.0.9 contain an XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability in the UcumEssenceService XML parsing functionality. Attackers can craft malicious XML files with embedded DTD tags to exfiltrate sensitive data from the host system, as the parser processes external entities without proper restrictions.

MitigationUpgrade ucum-java to version 1.0.9 or later to patch the XXE vulnerability. As a workaround, ensure all XML sources processed by UcumEssenceService are from trusted origins and consider implementing input validation before XML parsing.

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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. Identify ucum-java library presence
    Search for ucum-java JAR files in your application dependencies or classpath. Common locations: Maven pom.xml dependencies, Gradle build.gradle, application lib folders, or Java classpath. Use 'find . -name "*ucum*"' or check your dependency management file.
    Affected if The ucum-java library is present in the environment
  2. Determine installed ucum-java version
    Check the version in your dependency management tool (Maven: 'mvn dependency:tree | grep ucum', Gradle: 'gradle dependencies | grep ucum') or inspect the JAR file manifest if deployed directly. Compare against the vulnerable range: versions prior to 1.0.9 are affected.
    Affected if The installed version is any version prior to 1.0.9 (e.g., 1.0.8, 1.0.7, 1.0.6, etc.)
  3. Verify UcumEssenceService usage in code
    Search your codebase for imports and usage of 'UcumEssenceService' class. Look for code patterns like 'new UcumEssenceService()' or 'UcumEssenceService.convert()' that handle XML conversion or parsing operations.
    Affected if Your application code instantiates or calls UcumEssenceService methods for XML processing
  4. Confirm XML input sources are untrusted or external
    Audit how XML data reaches UcumEssenceService. Check if XML originates from user uploads, external API calls, file uploads, or untrusted network sources. Review configuration files and data flow for XML processing pipelines.
    Affected if UcumEssenceService processes XML from untrusted, user-controlled, or external sources rather than only trusted internal sources

You are affected if ucum-java version prior to 1.0.9 is installed AND your application uses UcumEssenceService to parse XML from untrusted sources.

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 ucum-java to version 1.0.9 or later to patch the XXE vulnerability. As a workaround, ensure all XML sources processed by UcumEssenceService are from trusted origins and consider implementing input validation before XML parsing.

Recommended fix High confidence

ucum-java version 1.0.9

  1. Identify the current version of ucum-java being used in your project by checking your build configuration (e.g., pom.xml for Maven, build.gradle for Gradle)
  2. Upgrade ucum-java to version 1.0.9 or later by updating the dependency version in your build configuration
  3. Rebuild and test your application to ensure the upgrade does not introduce regressions
  4. If you cannot upgrade immediately, ensure that any XML input provided to UcumEssenceService is from a trusted source and has been validated before processing

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2024-55887 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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