CVE-2017-12629
CRITICALCVE-2017-12629 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in org.apache.solr:solr-core. 4 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2017-12629 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Remote code execution occurs in Apache Solr
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.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2017-12629 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE sits: patch-first territory.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 368,770 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the ≥ 90% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.solr:solr-core☕org.apache.solr:solr-core☕org.apache.solr:solr-coreReal-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
Remote code execution occurs in Apache Solr before 7.1 with Apache Lucene before 7.1 by exploiting XXE in conjunction with use of a Config API add-listener command to reach the RunExecutableListener class. Elasticsearch, although it uses Lucene, is NOT vulnerable to this. Note that the XML external entity expansion vulnerability occurs in the XML Query Parser which is available, by default, for any query request with parameters deftype=xmlparser and can be exploited to upload malicious data to the /upload request handler or as Blind XXE using ftp wrapper in order to read arbitrary local files from the Solr server. Note also that the second vulnerability relates to remote code execution using the RunExecutableListener available on all affected versions of Solr.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.solr:solr-core | ≥ 7.0.0&&< 7.1.0 | 7.1.0 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.solr:solr-core | ≥ 6.0.0&&< 6.6.2 | 6.6.2 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.solr:solr-core | ≥ 5.5.0&&< 5.5.5 | 5.5.5 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Apache Solr 7.0.1 - XML External Entity Expansion / Remote Code Execution
by Michael Stepankin & Olga Barinova · Oct 17, 2017
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.solr:solr-core. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update org.apache.solr:solr-core to 7.1.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2017-12629 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 pinpoints whether CVE-2017-12629 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2017-12629. 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.
The following products are not affected by this flaw, as they do not use the vulnerable functionality of either aspect of the issue. Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6 Red Hat JBoss BPM Suite Red Hat JBoss BRMS Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Manager Red Hat Single Sign-On 7 Red Hat JBoss Portal…
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2017-12629 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2017-12629 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.