CVE-2026-24400 — assertj-core
Fix: assertj/assertj@85ca7ebCVE-2026-24400 is a XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in org.assertj:assertj-core. A fix is available for org.assertj:assertj-core — see the affected versions and patch details below.
AssertJ has XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability when parsing untrusted XML via isXmlEqualTo assertion
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-24400.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
Real-World Exposure
org.assertj:assertj-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
An XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability exists in org.assertj.core.util.xml.XmlStringPrettyFormatter: the toXmlDocument(String) method initializes DocumentBuilderFactory with default settings, without disabling DTDs or external entities. This formatter is used by the isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence) assertion for CharSequence values.
An application is vulnerable only when it uses untrusted XML input with one of the following methods:
isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence)fromorg.assertj.core.api.AbstractCharSequenceAssertxmlPrettyFormat(String)fromorg.assertj.core.util.xml.XmlStringPrettyFormatter
Impact
If untrusted XML input is processed by the methods mentioned above (e.g., in test environments handling external fixture files), an attacker could:
- Read arbitrary local files via
file://URIs (e.g.,/etc/passwd, application configuration files) - Perform Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) via HTTP/HTTPS URIs
- Cause Denial of Service via "Billion Laughs" entity expansion attacks
Mitigation
isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence) has been deprecated in favor of XMLUnit in version 3.18.0 and will be removed in version 4.0. Users of affected versions should, in order of preference:
- Replace
isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence)with XMLUnit, or - Upgrade to version 3.27.7, or
- Avoid using
isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence)orXmlStringPrettyFormatterwith untrusted input.
XmlStringPrettyFormatter has historically been considered a utility for isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence) rather than a feature for AssertJ users, so it is deprecated in version 3.27.7 and removed in version 4.0, with no replacement.
References
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.assertj:assertj-core | ≥ 1.4.0&&< 3.27.7 | 3.27.7org.assertj:assertj-core:3.27.7 |
Affected Products
assertjassertjDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.assertj:assertj-core, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.assertj:assertj-core to 3.27.7 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-24400 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Restrict outbound requests from the affected component to an allowlist of hosts, block access to link-local and internal address ranges at the network layer, and require authentication on internal services so a forged request cannot reach them unauthenticated.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
Exploitation of this vulnerability requires that a user processes untrusted content with the affected package.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| AMQ Clients 2026.Q3 | assertj-core | RHSA-2026:69459 |
| HawtIO HawtIO 4.4.0 | assertj-core | RHSA-2026:25089 |
| Red Hat build of Apache Camel 4.18.1.P1 for Spring Boot 3.5.16 | assertj-core | RHSA-2026:37390 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | assertj-core-0:3.24.2-9.el10_2.1 | RHSA-2026:59372 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support | assertj-core-0:3.24.2-9.el10_0.1 | RHSA-2026:69106 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | assertj-core-0:3.19.0-9.el9_8.1 | RHSA-2026:60215 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions | assertj-core-0:3.19.0-5.el9_2.2 | RHSA-2026:58956 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.4 Update Services for SAP Solutions | assertj-core-0:3.19.0-5.el9_4.2 | RHSA-2026:58957 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-24400 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.