# CVE-2023-46802: XML external entity in e-Tax software

> An attacker can read arbitrary files on the system by processing a specially crafted XML file in the e-Tax software.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **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:** 6 Nov 2023
- **Updated:** 29 Oct 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-f8v5-2g96-j9mq

## What is CVE-2023-46802?

CVE-2023-46802 is a medium-severity vulnerability in National Tax Agency e-Tax software, published on 6 Nov 2023. 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

e-Tax software Version3.0.10 and earlier improperly restricts XML external entity references (XXE) due to the configuration of the embedded XML parser. By processing a specially crafted XML file, arbitrary files on the system may be read by an attacker.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-46802?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Nta E-Tax.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-46802?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-46802 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-46802 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-46802 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in National Tax Agency e-Tax software

- [CVE-2017-2226](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-2226/): Privilege escalation in Setup file of advance preparation for e-Tax software (WEB version) (high 7.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-46802 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-46802 is a medium-severity vulnerability in National Tax Agency e-Tax software, published on 6 Nov 2023. 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-2023-46802 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: National Tax Agency e-Tax software. 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-2023-46802/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-46802/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-46802
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-46802
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-46802

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-46802/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.