How severe is CVE-2019-12415?

CVE-2019-12415 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10, rated MEDIUM. Review your exposure and patch according to your risk tolerance.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2019-12415?

CVE-2019-12415 affects the following packages: org.apache.poi:poi (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2019-12415?

Update org.apache.poi:poi to 4.1.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2019-12415 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2019-12415 in my Maven dependencies?

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.

How do I mitigate CVE-2019-12415 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

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.

Is CVE-2019-12415 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 2 known exploit references for CVE-2019-12415, including 1 in-the-wild exploitation observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2019-12415?

CVE-2019-12415 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 1.0%, placing it in the 63th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2019-12415?

CVE-2019-12415 is classified as XML External Entity (XXE) (CWE-611). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2019-12415 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2019-12415 was published on October 23, 2019 and was last updated on October 24, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

☕

☕ Maven

Not in CISA KEV

MEDIUM severity

CVE-2019-12415 — poi

MEDIUM

CVE-2019-12415 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.5) XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in org.apache.poi:poi. 2 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. 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

Also known asGHSA-9jwc-q6j3-8g9g

Published

Oct 23, 2019

Updated

Oct 24, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

2 known

Exploitation data as of Nov 6, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

1.0%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs63th percentile — riskier than 63% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

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.poi:poi

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 Apache POI up to 4.1.0, when using the tool XSSFExportToXml to convert user-provided Microsoft Excel documents, a specially crafted document can allow an attacker to read files from the local filesystem or from internal network resources via XML External Entity (XXE) Processing.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.poi:poi`	all versions	4.1.1`org.apache.poi:poi:4.1.1`

Affected Products

27 products · 65 configurations

Application

poiapache

≤ 4.1.0

range

Application

application testing suiteoracle

4 versions

12.5.0.313.1.0.113.2.0.113.3.0.1

Application

banking enterprise originationsoracle

2 versions

2.7.02.8.0

Application

banking enterprise product manufacturingoracle

2 versions

2.7.02.8.0

Application

banking paymentsoracle

2 versions

14.0.014.1.0

Application

banking platformoracle

9 versions

2.4.02.4.12.5.02.6.02.6.12.6.22.7.02.7.12.9.0

Exploits & PoCs

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

In Apache POI up to 4.1.0, when using the tool XSSFExportToXml to conver…

blog.gypsyengineer.comAwesomePocJun 2020

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
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 4.1.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2019-12415 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.

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 HatLow

Workaround published by Red Hat

The vulnerability is in the XSSFExportToXml util; avoid usage of this tool to mitigate the vulnerability.

Source: Red Hat security advisory for CVE-2019-12415 (CC BY 4.0)

Product	Fixed in	Advisory
Red Hat Fuse 7.10	`poi`	RHSA-2021:5134

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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CVE-2019-12415 — poi

EPSS Exploitation Probability

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

Description

Affected Packages

Affected Products

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Fix

Workarounds

Fixing This On Your OS

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2019-12415 in your dependencies?