CVE-2022-23437
MEDIUMCVE-2022-23437 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) CWE-835 vulnerability in xerces:xercesImpl. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2022-23437 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Infinite Loop in Apache Xerces Java
Real-World Exposure
xerces:xercesImplReal-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
There's a vulnerability within the Apache Xerces Java (XercesJ) XML parser when handling specially crafted XML document payloads. This causes, the XercesJ XML parser to wait in an infinite loop, which may sometimes consume system resources for prolonged duration. This vulnerability is present within XercesJ version 2.12.1 and the previous versions.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | xerces:xercesImpl | all versions | 2.12.2 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for xerces:xercesImpl. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update xerces:xercesImpl to 2.12.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-23437 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 pinpoints whether CVE-2022-23437 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2022-23437. 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-2022-23437 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2022-23437 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.