GHSA-826p-4gcg-35vw
CRITICALGeoTools has XML External Entity (XXE) Processing Vulnerability in XSD schema handling
Blast Radius
org.geotools:gt-xsd-core☕org.geotools:gt-xsd-core☕org.geotools:gt-xsd-core☕org.geotools:gt-wfs-ng☕org.geotools:gt-wfs-ng☕org.geotools:gt-wfs-ng☕org.geotools:gt-xsd-core☕org.geotools:gt-wfs-ngReal-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
Summary
GeoTools Schema class use of Eclipse XSD library to represent schema data structure is vulnerable to XML External Entity (XXE) exploit.
Impact
This impacts whoever exposes XML processing with gt-xsd-core involved in parsing, when the documents carry a reference to an external XML schema. The gt-xsd-core Schemas class is not using the EntityResolver provided by the ParserHandler (if any was configured).
This also impacts users of gt-wfs-ng DataStore where the ENTITY_RESOLVER connection parameter was not being used as intended.
Resolution
GeoTools API change allows EntityResolver to be supplied to the following methods:
Schemas.parse( location, locators, resolvers, uriHandlers, entityResolver);
Schemas.findSchemas(Configuration configuration, EntityResolver entityResolver);
With this API change the gt-wfs-ng WFS DataStore ENTITY_RESOLVER parameter is now used.
Reference
-
GHSA-jj54-8f66-c5pc: Describes the impact of the
gt-xsd-corevulnerability on the GeoServer WFS protocol, resulting in both Service Side Request Forgery (SSRF) and Out-of-Band (OOB) data exfiltration of local files. -
GHSA-2p76-gc46-5fvc: Describes the impact of the
gt-wfs-ngandgt-xsd-corevulnerability on the GeoNetwork WFS Index functionality.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.geotools:gt-xsd-core | ≥ 33.0&&< 33.1 | 33.1 |
| ☕Maven | org.geotools:gt-xsd-core | ≥ 32.0&&< 32.3 | 32.3 |
| ☕Maven | org.geotools:gt-xsd-core | ≥ 29.0&&< 31.7 | 31.7 |
| ☕Maven | org.geotools:gt-wfs-ng | ≥ 33.0&&< 33.1 | 33.1 |
| ☕Maven | org.geotools:gt-wfs-ng | ≥ 32.0&&< 32.3 | 32.3 |
| ☕Maven | org.geotools:gt-wfs-ng | ≥ 29.0&&< 31.7 | 31.7 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.geotools:gt-xsd-core. 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 org.geotools:gt-xsd-core to 33.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-826p-4gcg-35vw 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 GHSA-826p-4gcg-35vw 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 GHSA-826p-4gcg-35vw. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-826p-4gcg-35vw in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-826p-4gcg-35vw across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.