# CVE-2023-28828: XML external entity in Polarion ALM

> An attacker can exploit an XML External Entity Injection vulnerability in Polarion ALM to view files on the application server filesystem.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.9 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N/E:P/RL:O/RC:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 11 Apr 2023
- **Updated:** 7 Feb 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-28cv-g234-w9cx

## What is CVE-2023-28828?

CVE-2023-28828 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Siemens Polarion ALM, published on 11 Apr 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability has been identified in Polarion ALM (All versions < V22R2). The application contains a XML External Entity Injection (XXE) vulnerability. This could allow an attacker to view files on the application server filesystem.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-28828?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Siemens Polarion Alm.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-28828?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-28828 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-28828 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-28828 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Siemens Polarion ALM

- [CVE-2023-50236](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-50236/): Privilege escalation in Polarion ALM (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2024-23813](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-23813/): Missing authorization in Polarion ALM (high 7.3)
- [CVE-2024-51444](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-51444/): SQL injection in Polarion V2310 (high 7.1)
- [CVE-2024-51445](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-51445/): XML external entity in Polarion V2310 (high 7.1)
- [CVE-2024-51447](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-51447/): Information disclosure in Polarion V2310 (medium 6.9)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-28828 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-28828 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Siemens Polarion ALM, published on 11 Apr 2023. 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-2023-28828 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Siemens Polarion ALM. 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-2023-28828/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28828/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-28828
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-28828
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-28828

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28828/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.