CVE-2013-6440 — opensaml
CVE-2013-6440 is a Information Exposure vulnerability in org.opensaml:opensaml. A fix is available for org.opensaml:opensaml — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor in OpenSAML
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Real-World Exposure
org.opensaml:opensamlReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
The (1) BasicParserPool, (2) StaticBasicParserPool, (3) XML Decrypter, and (4) SAML Decrypter in Shibboleth OpenSAML-Java before 2.6.1 set the expandEntityReferences property to true, which allows remote attackers to conduct XML external entity (XXE) attacks via a crafted XML DOCTYPE declaration.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.opensaml:opensaml | all versions | 2.6.1org.opensaml:opensaml:2.6.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.opensaml:opensaml, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.opensaml:opensaml to 2.6.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2013-6440 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2013-6440 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2013-6440. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Fuse ESB Enterprise 7.1.0 | see advisory | RHSA-2014:0452 |
| Red Hat JBoss BPMS 6.0 | xmltooling | RHSA-2014:1291 |
| Red Hat JBoss BRMS 6.0 | xmltooling | RHSA-2014:1290 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6.2 | see advisory | RHSA-2014:0172 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6.2 for RHEL 5 | jbossas-javadocs-0:7.3.1-3.Final_redhat_3.ep6.el5 | RHSA-2014:0170 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6.2 for RHEL 6 | jbossas-javadocs-0:7.3.1-3.Final_redhat_3.ep6.el6 | RHSA-2014:0171 |
| Red Hat JBoss Fuse Service Works 6.0 | xmltooling | RHSA-2014:1995 |
| Red Hat JBoss Portal Platform 6.1 | see advisory | RHSA-2014:0195 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2013-6440 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2013-6440 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.