CVE-2020-36641 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in fr.turri:aXMLRPC. A fix is available for fr.turri:aXMLRPC — see the affected versions and patch details below.
aXMLRPC XML External Entity vulnerability
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-2020-36641 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 377,166 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
fr.turri:aXMLRPCReal-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
A vulnerability classified as problematic was found in gturri aXMLRPC up to 1.12.0. This vulnerability affects the function ResponseParser of the file src/main/java/de/timroes/axmlrpc/ResponseParser.java. The manipulation leads to xml external entity reference. Upgrading to version 1.14.0 is able to address this issue. The patch is identified as 456752ebc1ef4c0db980cb5b01a0b3cd0a9e0bae. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component. VDB-217450 is the identifier assigned to this vulnerability.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | fr.turri:aXMLRPC | all versions | 1.12.1fr.turri:aXMLRPC:1.12.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for fr.turri:aXMLRPC, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update fr.turri:aXMLRPC to 1.12.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-36641 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-2020-36641 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2020-36641. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-36641 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2020-36641 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.