CVE-2017-15691 — uimafit-core
MEDIUMCVE-2017-15691 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in org.apache.uima:uimafit-core. A fix is available for org.apache.uima:uimafit-core — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in Apache uimaj
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-2017-15691 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,333 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.uima:uimafit-core☕org.apache.uima:uimaj-core☕org.apache.uima:uimaj-core☕org.apache.uima:uimaj-as-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
In Apache uimaj prior to 2.10.2, Apache uimaj 3.0.0-xxx prior to 3.0.0-beta, Apache uima-as prior to 2.10.2, Apache uimaFIT prior to 2.4.0, Apache uimaDUCC prior to 2.2.2, this vulnerability relates to an XML external entity expansion (XXE) capability of various XML parsers. UIMA as part of its configuration and operation may read XML from various sources, which could be tainted in ways to cause inadvertent disclosure of local files or other internal content.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.uima:uimafit-core | all versions | 2.4.0org.apache.uima:uimafit-core:2.4.0 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.uima:uimaj-core | all versions | 2.10.2org.apache.uima:uimaj-core:2.10.2 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.uima:uimaj-core | ≥ 3.0.0-alpha&&< 3.0.0-beta | 3.0.0-betaorg.apache.uima:uimaj-core:3.0.0-beta |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.uima:uimaj-as-core | all versions | 2.10.2org.apache.uima:uimaj-as-core:2.10.2 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.uima:uimafit-core, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.uima:uimafit-core to 2.4.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2017-15691 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-2017-15691 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2017-15691. 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.
This issue affects the versions of lucene (which contains an embedded copy of uima) as shipped with Red Hat Satellite 6.0 and 6.1. Red Hat Satellite 6.2 and later do not include lucene and are not vulnerable to this issue.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Fuse 7.3.1 | uimaj | RHSA-2019:1545 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2017-15691 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2017-15691 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.