# CVE-2019-16188: XML external entity in n/a

> An attacker can exfiltrate local files or cause denial of service by tricking a victim into opening a malicious .ozasmt file in HCL AppScan Source.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H`)
- **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:** No
- **Published:** 25 Sep 2019
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-c62w-57vg-xgvp

## What is CVE-2019-16188?

CVE-2019-16188 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 25 Sep 2019. 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

HCL AppScan Source before 9.03.13 is susceptible to XML External Entity (XXE) attacks in multiple locations. In particular, an attacker can send a specially crafted .ozasmt file to a targeted victim and ask the victim to open it. When the victim imports the .ozasmt file in AppScan Source, the content of any file in the local file system (to which the victim as read access) can be exfiltrated to a remote listener under the attacker's control. The product does not disable external XML Entity Processing, which can lead to information disclosure and denial of services attacks.

Weakness: CWE-611 (Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-16188?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Hcltech Appscan Source.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-16188?

No fix has been published for CVE-2019-16188 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2019-16188 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-16188 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2024-30149](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-30149/): HCL AppScan Source is affected by an expired TLS/SSL certificate (medium 4.8)
- [CVE-2019-4388](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-4388/): Cross-site scripting in AppScan Source (medium 4.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-16188 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-16188 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 25 Sep 2019. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-16188 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. 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-2019-16188/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16188/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-16188
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-16188
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-16188

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16188/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.