CVE-2026-22186
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 · uneditedBio-Formats versions up to and including 8.3.0 contain an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in the Leica Microsystems metadata parsing component (e.g., XLEF). The parser uses an insecurely configured DocumentBuilderFactory when processing Leica XML-based metadata files, allowing external entity expansion and external DTD loading. A crafted metadata file can trigger outbound network requests (SSRF), access local system resources where readable, or cause a denial of service during XML parsing.
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 confidenceBio-Formats versions up to 8.3.0 contain an XXE vulnerability in the Leica Microsystems XML metadata parser (XLEF). The DocumentBuilderFactory is insecurely configured, allowing entity expansion, external DTD loading, SSRF via outbound requests, local file access, and denial of service through crafted .xlef files.
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<= 8.3.0CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 Bio-Formats versionLocate the bioformats*.jar file in your environment and check its version (via filename, manifest.mf, or java -jar bioformats*.jar --version if available). Alternatively, search for Bio-Formats in any pom.xml, requirements.txt, or dependency manifests.Affected if The installed version is 8.3.0 or any version up to 8.3.0.
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Determine if Leica XLEF parsing is in useSearch your application code, scripts, or logs for references to 'leica', 'xlef', 'XLEF', or 'LeicaXMLMetadataParser'. Also check if .xlef or .xml files from Leica microscopes are being processed.Affected if Your code or workflows process .xlef files or invoke the Leica XML metadata parser.
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Inspect the DocumentBuilderFactory configurationLocate the source code for the Leica XML parser (commonly in a class named LeicaXMLMetadataParser or similar under the loci.formats.in namespace). Examine the DocumentBuilderFactory instantiation and check whether external entity, DTD, or XXE protections are explicitly disabled or missing.Affected if The DocumentBuilderFactory is configured without disabling external entities, DTD processing, or external DTD loading.
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Review runtime parsing behaviorIf source code is unavailable, monitor outbound network connections from your Java process when parsing Leica .xlef files. Use network tracing or debug logging to observe whether the parser attempts external URL connections.Affected if The parser makes outbound HTTP/DTD requests to external hosts when processing .xlef files.
You are affected if Bio-Formats version 8.3.0 or lower is installed AND your environment processes Leica XLEF files with the default DocumentBuilderFactory configuration that allows 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 · scopedConfigure DocumentBuilderFactory to disable DTDs and external entities, or upgrade to a patched version once released.
Bio-Formats 8.4.0 or latest stable release
- 1. Identify all Java applications or tools that import and use the Bio-Formats library (groupId: loci-software, artifactId: bio-formats or bio-formats-plugins)
- 2. Locate the current Bio-Formats dependency in your project's build configuration (Maven pom.xml, Gradle build.gradle, or JAR files)
- 3. Update the Bio-Formats dependency version from 8.3.0 (or lower) to version 8.4.0 or later
- 4. Rebuild and redeploy the affected applications
- 5. Verify the fix by testing with a crafted XXE payload in a .xlef file to confirm external entity expansion is no longer possible
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-2026-22186 — 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-2026-22186 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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