CVE-2014-3529 — poi
CVE-2014-3529 is a security vulnerability in org.apache.poi:poi. EPSS puts its 30-day exploitation probability at 12.8% (96th percentile). A fix is available for org.apache.poi:poi — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in Apache POI
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.apache.poi:poiReal-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 OPC SAX setup in Apache POI before 3.10.1 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via an OpenXML file containing an XML external entity declaration in conjunction with an entity reference, related to an XML External Entity (XXE) issue.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.poi:poi | all versions | 3.10.1org.apache.poi:poi:3.10.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.poi:poi, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.poi:poi to 3.10.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2014-3529 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-2014-3529 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2014-3529. 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.
Red Hat Product Security has determined that CVE-2014-3529 is not exploitable by default in JBoss Portal Platform as provided by Red Hat. This flaw would only be exploitable if the Apache POI library provided by JBoss Portal Platform were used by a custom application to process user-supplied XML documents.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat JBoss BPMS 6.0 | see advisory | RHSA-2014:1399 |
| Red Hat JBoss BRMS 6.0 | see advisory | RHSA-2014:1400 |
| Red Hat JBoss Data Virtualization 6.0 | apache-poi | RHSA-2014:1398 |
| Red Hat JBoss Fuse Service Works 6.0 | apache-poi | RHSA-2014:1370 |
| Red Hat JBoss Portal 6.2 | apache-poi | RHSA-2015:1009 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2014-3529 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2014-3529 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.