# CVE-2014-5325: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor in Direct Web Remoting

> Remote attackers can read arbitrary files via XML external entity injection in Direct Web Remoting converters.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.0 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 24 Nov 2014
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-hqw5-62gp-rqgm

## What is CVE-2014-5325?

CVE-2014-5325 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 24 Nov 2014. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The (1) DOMConverter, (2) JDOMConverter, (3) DOM4JConverter, and (4) XOMConverter functions in Direct Web Remoting (DWR) through 2.0.10 and 3.x through 3.0.RC2 allow remote attackers to read arbitrary files via DOM data containing an XML external entity declaration in conjunction with an entity reference, related to an XML External Entity (XXE) issue.

Weakness: CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2014-5325?

4 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.directwebremoting:dwr. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `org.directwebremoting:dwr` | Maven | All versions | 2.0.11 |
| `org.directwebremoting:dwr` | Maven | All versions | 2.0.11 |
| `org.directwebremoting:dwr` | Maven | From 3.0.M1 | 3.0.RC3 |
| `org.directwebremoting:dwr` | Maven | From 3.0.M1 | 3.0.RC3 |

Products: Directwebremoting Direct Web Remoting.

## How do I fix CVE-2014-5325?

Upgrade org.directwebremoting:dwr to a fixed version for your release line: 2.0.11 or 3.0.RC3.

## Is CVE-2014-5325 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2014-5325 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2014-5326](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-5326/): Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation in Direct Web Remoting (medium 4.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2014-5325 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2014-5325 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 24 Nov 2014. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2014-5325 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- org.directwebremoting:dwr (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 2.0.11
- org.directwebremoting:dwr (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 2.0.11
- org.directwebremoting:dwr (Maven): affected from 3.0.M1; fixed in 3.0.RC3
- org.directwebremoting:dwr (Maven): affected from 3.0.M1; fixed in 3.0.RC3

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-5325/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-5325/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2014-5325
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-5325
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2014-5325

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-5325/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.