Critical · published June 10, 2025
🚨 An XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability is lurking in GeoServer, potentially exposing sensitive geospatial data! 🔥 Think of this vulnerability like a restaurant that accepts takeout orders but never checks if the delivery drivers are bringing in valid requests — a malicious driver could drop off harmful ingredients without anyone noticing. 🍽️ This flaw allows attackers to access or manipulate files on the server through specially crafted XML documents. They could potentially read sensitive data or even execute arbitrary code, leading to a catastrophic data breach!
Think of this vulnerability like a restaurant that accepts takeout orders but never checks if the delivery drivers are bringing in valid requests — a malicious driver could drop off harmful ingredients without anyone noticing. 🍽️ The GeoTools Schema class fails to use the configured EntityResolver when parsing XML schemas, exposing it to external entities that could be exploited. This affects any application processing XML with the gt-xsd-core library and impacts users of the gt-wfs-ng DataStore who are not using the ENTITY_RESOLVER parameter properly.
This flaw allows attackers to access or manipulate files on the server through specially crafted XML documents. They could potentially read sensitive data or even execute arbitrary code, leading to a catastrophic data breach! To patch this vulnerability, immediately upgrade to GeoTools versions 33.1, 32.3, 31.7, or 28.6.1, and GeoServer versions 2.27.1, 2.26.3, or 2.25.7. Ensure that the ENTITY_RESOLVER is configured correctly to protect against external entity exploitation. You've got this! Follow the steps above to secure your GeoServer and keep your geospatial data safe! 🛡️