How severe is CVE-2023-4218?

CVE-2023-4218 has a CVSS score of 5/10, rated MEDIUM. Review your exposure and patch according to your risk tolerance.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2023-4218?

CVE-2023-4218 affects the following packages: org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.core.runtime (Maven), org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.platform (Maven), org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.jface (Maven), org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.ui.forms (Maven), org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.ui.ide (Maven), org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.ui.workbench (Maven), org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.urischeme (Maven), org.eclipse.jdt:org.eclipse.jdt.ui (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2023-4218?

Update org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.core.runtime to 3.29.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-4218 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2023-4218 in my Maven dependencies?

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

How do I mitigate CVE-2023-4218 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-2023-4218 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 1 known exploit references for CVE-2023-4218, 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-2023-4218?

CVE-2023-4218 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 0.4%, placing it in the 33th 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-2023-4218?

CVE-2023-4218 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-2023-4218 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2023-4218 was published on November 9, 2023 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

MEDIUM severity

CVE-2023-4218 — org.eclipse.core.runtime

MEDIUMFix: eclipse-cdt/cdt@c7169b3

CVE-2023-4218 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5) XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.core.runtime. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.core.runtime — see the affected versions and patch details below.

XXE in eclipse.platform / Eclipse IDE

Also known asGHSA-j24h-xcpc-9jw8

Published

Nov 9, 2023

Updated

Oct 28, 2026

Affected

8 pkgs

Patched

8 / 8

Exploits

1 known

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

Exploitation Status

Proof-of-concept exploit code exists

CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-4218.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

0.4%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs33th percentile — riskier than 33% 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

8 pkgs affected

☕org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.core.runtime☕org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.platform☕org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.jface☕org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.ui.forms☕org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.ui.ide☕org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.ui.workbench☕org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.urischeme☕org.eclipse.jdt:org.eclipse.jdt.ui

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

Impact

xml files like ".project" are parsed vulnerable against all sorts of XXE attacks. The user just needs to open any evil project or update an open project with a vulnerable file (for example for review a foreign repository or patch).

Vulnerablility was found by static code analysis (SonarLint).

Example .project file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> 
<!DOCTYPE price [
<!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "http://127.0.0.1:49416/evil">]>
<projectDescription>
	<name>p</name>
	<comment>&xxe;</comment>
</projectDescription>

Patches

Similar patches including junit test that shows the vulnerability have already applied to PDE (see https://github.com/eclipse-pde/eclipse.pde/pull/667). A solution to platform should be the same: just reject parsing any XML that contains any DOCTYPE.

Workarounds

No known workaround. User can only avoid to get/open any foreign files with eclipse. Firewall rules against loss of data (but not against XML bomb).

References

https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/611.html https://rules.sonarsource.com/java/RSPEC-2755 https://gitlab.eclipse.org/security/vulnerability-reports/-/issues/8 (Report for multiple projects affected)

Affected Packages

8 total 8 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.core.runtime`	all versions	3.29.0`org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.core.runtime:3.29.0`
☕Maven	`org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.platform`	all versions	4.29.0`org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.platform:4.29.0`
☕Maven	`org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.jface`	all versions	3.31.0`org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.jface:3.31.0`
☕Maven	`org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.ui.forms`	all versions	3.13.0`org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.ui.forms:3.13.0`
☕Maven	`org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.ui.ide`	all versions	3.21.100`org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.ui.ide:3.21.100`
☕Maven	`org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.ui.workbench`	all versions	3.130.0`org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.ui.workbench:3.130.0`

Affected Products

3 products · 3 configurations

Application

eclipse ideeclipse

< 4.29

range

Application

org.eclipse.core.runtimeeclipse

< 3.29.0

range

Application

pdeeclipse

< 3.13.2400

range

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 Eclipse IDE versions < 2023-09 (4.29) some files with xml content are…

gitlab.eclipse.orgNVDNov 2023

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.core.runtime, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.eclipse.platform:org.eclipse.core.runtime to 3.29.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-4218 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

### Impact xml files like ".project" are parsed vulnerable against all sorts of XXE attacks. The user just needs to open any evil project or update an open project with a vulnerable file (for example for review a foreign repository or patch). Vulnerablility was found by static code analysis (SonarLint). Example `.project` file: ``` <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <!DOCTYPE price [ <!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "http://127.0.0.1:49416/evil">]> <projectDescription> <name>p</name> <comment>&xxe;</comment> </projectDescription> ``` ### Patches Similar patches including junit test that shows th

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