How severe is GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r?

No CVSS score has been assigned to GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r?

GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r affects the following packages: org.assertj:assertj-core (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r?

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 GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r in my Maven dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.assertj:assertj-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.

How do I mitigate GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

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 does O3 Security protect against GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r?

O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Is GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r?

GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 0.5%, placing it in the 41th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r?

GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r is classified as XML External Entity (XXE) (CWE-611). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r published, and has it been updated?

GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r was published on January 26, 2026 and was last updated on February 3, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

☕ Maven

GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r

AssertJ has XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability when parsing untrusted XML via isXmlEqualTo assertion

Also known asCVE-2026-24400

Published

Jan 26, 2026

Updated

Feb 3, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

0.5%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk41th percentile+0.51%

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

1 pkg affected

☕org.assertj:assertj-core

Real-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) from org.assertj.core.api.AbstractCharSequenceAssert
xmlPrettyFormat(String) from org.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) or XmlStringPrettyFormatter with 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

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.assertj:assertj-core`	≥ 1.4.0&&< 3.27.7	3.27.7

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.assertj:assertj-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.assertj:assertj-core to 3.27.7 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r 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-rqfh-9r24-8c9r 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-rqfh-9r24-8c9r. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

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)` from `org.assertj.core.api.AbstractCharSequenceAssert` - `xmlPrettyFormat(String)` from `org.assertj.core.util.xml.XmlStri

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r in your dependencies?

O3 detects GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works