GHSA-h94w-8qhg-3xmc
CRITICALWSO2 API Manager XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability
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
org.wso2.am:am-distribution-parentReal-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 the gateway component of WSO2 API Manager due to insufficient validation of XML input in crafted URL paths. User-supplied XML is parsed without appropriate restrictions, enabling external entity resolution.
This vulnerability can be exploited by an unauthenticated remote attacker to read files from the server’s filesystem or perform denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.
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On systems running JDK 7 or early JDK 8, full file contents may be exposed.
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On later versions of JDK 8 and newer, only the first line of a file may be read, due to improvements in XML parser behavior.
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DoS attacks such as "Billion Laughs" payloads can cause service disruption.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.wso2.am:am-distribution-parent | all versions | 2.1.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.wso2.am:am-distribution-parent. 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.wso2.am:am-distribution-parent to 2.1.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-h94w-8qhg-3xmc 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-h94w-8qhg-3xmc 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-h94w-8qhg-3xmc. 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-h94w-8qhg-3xmc in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-h94w-8qhg-3xmc across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.