CVE-2016-5000 Apache POI's XLSX2CSV Example XML External Entity (XXE) Vulnerability
Remote attackers can read arbitrary files via crafted OpenXML documents exploiting an XML External Entity vulnerability in the XLSX2CSV example.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2016-5000?
CVE-2016-5000 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 5 Aug 2016. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
The XLSX2CSV example in Apache POI before 3.14 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a crafted OpenXML document containing an external entity declaration in conjunction with an entity reference, related to an XML External Entity (XXE) issue.
Weakness: CWE-611
Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-5000?
2 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.apache.poi:poi-examples. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
org.apache.poi:poi-examples Maven | All versions | 3.14 |
org.apache.poi:poi-examples Maven | All versions | 3.14 |
Products include Apache Poi.
How do I fix CVE-2016-5000?
Upgrade org.apache.poi:poi-examples to 3.14 or later.
Is CVE-2016-5000 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-5000 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in n/a
- CVE-2017-12626 Denial of Service in Apache POI
- CVE-2022-26336 A carefully crafted TNEF file can cause an out of memory exception
- CVE-2019-12415 Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in Apache POI
- CVE-2017-5644 Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs in Apache POI
- CVE-2025-31672 Apache POI OOXML Vulnerable to Improper Input Validation in OOXML File Parsing
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2016-5000, GHSA-pmqq-7wfv-jfff, UBUNTU-CVE-2016-5000.