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CRITICAL severity

CVE-2017-12620 — opennlp-tools

CRITICAL

CVE-2017-12620 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in org.apache.opennlp:opennlp-tools. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.apache.opennlp:opennlp-tools — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in Apache OpenNLP

Also known asGHSA-h22x-hm8g-rxpg
Published
Updated
Affected
1 pkg
Patched
1 / 1
Exploits
1 known
Exploitation data as of Nov 2, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗
3.0%probability of exploitation in next 30 days
Lower Risk0.00%
Lower risk than most CVEs88th percentile — riskier than 88% of all scored CVEsHighest risk
0.41%1.49%2.57%3.65%1.0%3.0%May 26Sep 26Nov 26

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

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected
☕org.apache.opennlp:opennlp-tools

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

When loading models or dictionaries that contain XML it is possible to perform an XXE attack, since Apache OpenNLP is a library, this only affects applications that load models or dictionaries from untrusted sources. The versions 1.5.0 to 1.5.3, 1.6.0, 1.7.0 to 1.7.2, 1.8.0 to 1.8.1 of Apache OpenNLP are affected.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed
EcosystemPackageVulnerable rangeFix
☕Mavenorg.apache.opennlp:opennlp-tools≥ 1.5.0&&< 1.8.21.8.2org.apache.opennlp:opennlp-tools:1.8.2

Affected Products

1 product · 10 configurations
Application
opennlpapache
10 versions
1.5.01.5.11.5.21.5.31.6.01.7.01.7.11.7.21.8.01.8.1
Exploits & PoCs
1

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

When loading models or dictionaries that contain XML it is possible to p…

opennlp.apache.orgNVDNov 2017

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

  1. Detect

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

  2. Fix

    Update org.apache.opennlp:opennlp-tools to 1.8.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2017-12620 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

  3. 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

When loading models or dictionaries that contain XML it is possible to perform an XXE attack, since Apache OpenNLP is a library, this only affects applications that load models or dictionaries from untrusted sources. The versions 1.5.0 to 1.5.3, 1.6.0, 1.7.0 to 1.7.2, 1.8.0 to 1.8.1 of Apache OpenNLP are affected.
O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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CVE-2017-12620: opennlp-tools XXE — Fixed in 1.8.2