CVE-2023-42344 — opencms-core
HIGHCVE-2023-42344 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.3) XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in org.opencms:opencms-core. A fix is available for org.opencms:opencms-core — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Alkacon OpenCms allows remote unauthenticated attackers to obtain sensitive information
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.
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-42344.
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-2023-42344 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 377,333 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
org.opencms:opencms-coreReal-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
Alkacon OpenCms before 10.5.1 allows remote unauthenticated attackers to obtain sensitive information via a cmis-online/query XXE attack on a Chemistry servlet.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.opencms:opencms-core | all versions | 10.5.1org.opencms:opencms-core:10.5.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.opencms:opencms-core, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.opencms:opencms-core to 10.5.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-42344 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-2023-42344 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-42344. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
How to detect CVE-2023-42344
A community-maintained Nuclei template exists for this CVE. You can scan for it directly:
nuclei -id cve-2023-42344 -u https://target- Template
- OpenCMS - XML external entity (XXE)
- Severity
- high
- Impact
- Unauthenticated attackers can exploit XXE vulnerabilities to execute malicious requests on the OpenCMS server, potentially reading sensitive server files and internal data.
- Remediation
- Advised to upgrade to OpenCMS 10.5.1 or later to patch the vulnerability
Template by ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates (0xr2r), MIT licensed. View the full template. Scan only systems you are authorised to test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-42344 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-42344 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.