How severe is CVE-2022-0265?

CVE-2022-0265 has a CVSS score of 7.3/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2022-0265?

CVE-2022-0265 affects the following packages: com.hazelcast:hazelcast (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2022-0265?

Update com.hazelcast:hazelcast to 5.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-0265 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2022-0265 in my Maven dependencies?

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

How do I mitigate CVE-2022-0265 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-2022-0265 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 3 known exploit references for CVE-2022-0265, including 2 in-the-wild exploitations 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-2022-0265?

CVE-2022-0265 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 2.8%, placing it in the 86th 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-2022-0265?

CVE-2022-0265 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-2022-0265 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2022-0265 was published on March 3, 2022 and was last updated on October 28, 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

HIGH severity

CVE-2022-0265 — hazelcast

HIGHFix: hazelcast/hazelcast@4d6b666

CVE-2022-0265 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.3) XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in com.hazelcast:hazelcast. 3 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for com.hazelcast:hazelcast — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in hazelcast/hazelcast

Also known asGHSA-99wh-973f-779p

Published

Mar 3, 2022

Updated

Oct 28, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

3 known

Exploitation data as of Nov 3, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

2.8%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs86th percentile — riskier than 86% 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

☕com.hazelcast:hazelcast

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

The AbstractXmlConfigRootTagRecognizer() function makes use of SAXParser generated from a SAXParserFactory with no FEATURE_SECURE_PROCESSING set, allowing for XXE attacks.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`com.hazelcast:hazelcast`	≥ 5.1-beta1&&< 5.1	5.1`com.hazelcast:hazelcast:5.1`

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

hazelcasthazelcast

1 version

5.1

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.

Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in GitHub reposito…

huntr.devNVDMar 2022

Report on github.com

github.comGithubApr 2022

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for com.hazelcast:hazelcast, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update com.hazelcast:hazelcast to 5.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-0265 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

The AbstractXmlConfigRootTagRecognizer() function makes use of SAXParser generated from a SAXParserFactory with no FEATURE_SECURE_PROCESSING set, allowing for XXE attacks.

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2022-0265 in your dependencies?

Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVSS Score

7.3/10CVSS v3 base

Vector breakdown

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

Low

Availability

Low

Raw vector

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

CWE Classification

CWE-611XML External Entity (XXE)

Weaponization

No Nuclei template or Metasploit module yet. 3 public proof-of-concept references are listed on this page.

Timeline

Disclosed

Mar 3, 2022

First exploit

Mar 10, 2022

6 days after disclosure — rapid exploitation

Last updated

Oct 28, 2026

Identifiers

CVE-2022-0265

GHSA-99wh-973f-779p

References

Advisorygithub.com · CVE 2022 0265.json Advisorynvd.nist.gov · CVE 2022 0265 Fixgithub.com · 4d6b666cd0291abd618c3b95cdbb51aa4208e748 Webhuntr.dev · d63972a2 b910 480a a86b d1f75d24d563 Webgithub.com Webgithub.com · hazelcast

Related vulnerabilities

This CVE is high severity; 7 of 8 other CVEs affecting hazelcast are rated as high or higher (top: critical).

CVE-2026-107726CVE-2026-107725CVE-2023-45859CVE-2023-45860CVE-2023-33265CVE-2023-33264CVE-2022-36437CVE-2016-10750

Provenance

Sources

OSV.devNVDFIRST.org (EPSS)

Last verifiedOct 28, 2026