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CRITICAL severity

CVE-2018-12544 — vertx-core

CRITICALFix: vert-x3/vertx-web@ac8692c

CVE-2018-12544 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in io.vertx:vertx-core. A fix is available for io.vertx:vertx-core — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Moderate severity vulnerability that affects io.vertx:vertx-core

Also known asGHSA-qh3m-qw6v-qvhg
Published
Updated
Affected
1 pkg
Patched
1 / 1
Exploits
None indexed
Exploitation data as of Nov 4, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗
2.2%probability of exploitation in next 30 days
Lower Risk0.00%
Lower risk than most CVEs82th percentile — riskier than 82% of all scored CVEsHighest risk
0.09%0.95%1.81%2.67%0.6%2.2%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
☕io.vertx:vertx-core

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

In version from 3.5.Beta1 to 3.5.3 of Eclipse Vert.x, the OpenAPI XML type validator creates XML parsers without taking appropriate defense against XML attacks. This mechanism is exclusively when the developer uses the Eclipse Vert.x OpenAPI XML type validator to validate a provided schema.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed
EcosystemPackageVulnerable rangeFix
☕Mavenio.vertx:vertx-core≥ 3.5.0&&< 3.5.43.5.4io.vertx:vertx-core:3.5.4

Affected Products

1 product · 9 configurations
Application
vert.xeclipse
4 versions
3.5.03.5.13.5.23.5.3

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

  1. Detect

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

  2. Fix

    Update io.vertx:vertx-core to 3.5.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2018-12544 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.

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
ProductFixed inAdvisory
Text-Only RHOARvertx-webRHSA-2018:2946

Frequently Asked Questions

In version from 3.5.Beta1 to 3.5.3 of Eclipse Vert.x, the OpenAPI XML type validator creates XML parsers without taking appropriate defense against XML attacks. This mechanism is exclusively when the developer uses the Eclipse Vert.x OpenAPI XML type validator to validate a provided schema.
O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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CVE-2018-12544: vertx-core — Fixed in 3.5.4