CVE-2024-45294
HIGH`org.hl7.fhir.core` XXE vulnerability in XSLT transforms
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.
Blast Radius
ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.dstu2016may☕ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.dstu3☕ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.r4☕ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.r4b☕ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.r5☕ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.utilitiesReal-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 HL7 FHIR Core Artifacts repository provides the java core object handling code, with utilities (including validator), for the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) specification. Prior to version 6.3.23, XSLT transforms performed by various components are vulnerable to XML external entity injections. A processed XML file with a malicious DTD tag could produce XML containing data from the host system. This impacts use cases where org.hl7.fhir.core is being used to within a host where external clients can submit XML. This issue has been patched in release 6.3.23. No known workarounds are available.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.dstu2016may | all versions | 6.3.23 |
| ☕Maven | ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.dstu3 | all versions | 6.3.23 |
| ☕Maven | ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.r4 | all versions | 6.3.23 |
| ☕Maven | ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.r4b | all versions | 6.3.23 |
| ☕Maven | ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.r5 | all versions | 6.3.23 |
| ☕Maven | ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.utilities | all versions | 6.3.23 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.dstu2016may. 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 ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.dstu2016may to 6.3.23 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2024-45294 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-2024-45294 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-2024-45294. 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-2024-45294 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2024-45294 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.