How severe is CVE-2014-3004?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2014-3004 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2014-3004?

CVE-2014-3004 affects the following packages: org.codehaus.castor:castor (Maven), castor:castor (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2014-3004?

Update org.codehaus.castor:castor to 1.3.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2014-3004 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2014-3004 in my Maven dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.codehaus.castor:castor, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2014-3004 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

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.

Is CVE-2014-3004 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 3 known exploit references for CVE-2014-3004, including 1 documented proof-of-concept exploit on Exploit-DB and 2 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2014-3004?

CVE-2014-3004 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 9.2%, placing it in the 95th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2014-3004?

CVE-2014-3004 is classified as XML External Entity (XXE) (CWE-611). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2014-3004 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2014-3004 was published on May 13, 2022 and was last updated on April 16, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

☕ Maven

Not in CISA KEV

CVE-2014-3004 — castor

CVE-2014-3004 is a XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in org.codehaus.castor:castor. 3 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.codehaus.castor:castor — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in Castor

Published

May 13, 2022

Updated

Apr 16, 2026

Affected

2 pkgs

Patched

1 / 2

Exploits

3 known

Exploitation data as of Nov 2, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

9.2%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs95th percentile — riskier than 95% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

Real-World Exposure

2 pkgs affected

☕org.codehaus.castor:castor☕castor:castor

Real-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 default configuration for the Xerces SAX Parser in Castor before 1.3.3 allows context-dependent attackers to conduct XML External Entity (XXE) attacks via a crafted XML document.

Affected Packages

2 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.codehaus.castor:castor`	all versions	1.3.3`org.codehaus.castor:castor:1.3.3`
☕Maven	`castor:castor`	all versions	No fix

Affected Products

3 products · 5 configurations

Application

castorcastor_project

≤ 1.3.2

2 versions

1.31.3.1

opensuseopensuse

1 version

13.1

opensuseopensuse_project

1 version

12.3

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

EDB-39205remotemultiple✓ Verified

Castor Library - XML External Entity Information Disclosure

by Ron Gutierrez · May 27, 2014

Exploit-DB Source

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.codehaus.castor:castor, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.codehaus.castor:castor to 1.3.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2014-3004 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.

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.

Red HatModerate

This issue affects the version of castor as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and 6. The Red Hat Security Response Team has rated this issue as having Moderate security impact. A future update may address this issue. For additional information, refer to the Issue Severity Classification:…

Workaround published by Red Hat

"A configuration file in the Java library directory (e.g. /jdk1.2/lib) can be used to override the default configuration file with system-wide properties. In addition, a configuration file can be placed in the classpath and will override both the system wide properties and Castor-default configuration." [1] Adding the following content in any of the above mentioned configuration files will act as a viable mitigation against this flaw. > org.exolab.castor.sax.features=\ > http://apache.org/xml/features/disallow-doctype-decl > > org.exolab.castor.sax.features-to-disable=\ > http://xml.org/sax/features/external-general-entities,\ >…

Source: Red Hat security advisory for CVE-2014-3004 (CC BY 4.0)

Frequently Asked Questions

The default configuration for the Xerces SAX Parser in Castor before 1.3.3 allows context-dependent attackers to conduct XML External Entity (XXE) attacks via a crafted XML document.

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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