# CVE-2021-2401: XML external entity in BI Publisher (formerly XML Publisher)

> Unauthenticated attackers can exploit an XML External Entity vulnerability in Oracle BI Publisher to read sensitive data via HTTP.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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:** No
- **Published:** 20 Jul 2021
- **Updated:** 26 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-xchm-27qm-h7w6

## What is CVE-2021-2401?

CVE-2021-2401 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Oracle Corporation BI Publisher (formerly XML Publisher), published on 20 Jul 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Vulnerability in the Oracle BI Publisher product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: E-Business Suite - XDO). Supported versions that are affected are 5.5.0.0.0, 11.1.1.9.0, 12.2.1.3.0 and 12.2.1.4.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle BI Publisher. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle BI Publisher accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 5.3 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N).

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-2401?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Oracle Bi Publisher.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-2401?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-2401 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-2401 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-2401 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Oracle Corporation BI Publisher (formerly XML Publisher)

- [CVE-2026-71059](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-71059/): Auth bypass in Oracle BI Publisher (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2026-60719](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-60719/): Privilege escalation in Oracle BI Publisher (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2026-60173](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-60173/): Auth bypass in Oracle BI Publisher (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2024-21082](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-21082/): XML external entity in BI Publisher (formerly XML Publisher) (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-71058](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-71058/): Auth bypass in Oracle BI Publisher (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-2401 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-2401 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Oracle Corporation BI Publisher (formerly XML Publisher), published on 20 Jul 2021. 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-2021-2401 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Oracle Corporation BI Publisher (formerly XML Publisher). 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-2021-2401/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-2401/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-2401
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-2401
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-2401

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-2401/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.