# CVE-2016-0245: XML external entity in n/a

> Authenticated attackers can read arbitrary files or cause denial of service in IBM WebSphere Portal via XML External Entity injection.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.4 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 29 Feb 2016
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-83gx-v8hg-mghf

## What is CVE-2016-0245?

CVE-2016-0245 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Ibm Websphere Portal, published on 29 Feb 2016. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The XML parser in IBM WebSphere Portal 8.0.x before 8.0.0.1 CF20 and 8.5.x before 8.5.0.0 CF10 allows remote authenticated users to read arbitrary files or cause a denial of service via an external entity declaration in conjunction with an entity reference, related to an XML External Entity (XXE) issue.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-0245?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Ibm Websphere Portal.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-0245?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-0245 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-0245 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-0245 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Ibm Websphere Portal

- [CVE-2008-5675](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-5675/): Auth bypass in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2017-1156](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-1156/): Open redirect in WebSphere Portal (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2013-2951](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2951/): Information disclosure in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2015-7419](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-7419/): Denial of service in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2015-1943](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-1943/): Denial of service in n/a (high 7.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-0245 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-0245 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Ibm Websphere Portal, published on 29 Feb 2016. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-0245 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Ibm Websphere Portal. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

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-2016-0245/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-0245/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-0245
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-0245
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-0245

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-0245/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.