CVE-2025-64518 CycloneDX Core (Java): BOM validation is vulnerable to XML External Entity injection
An attacker can exploit XML External Entity injection in CycloneDX Core Java validation to read sensitive files or cause denial of service.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2025-64518?
CVE-2025-64518 is a high-severity vulnerability in cyclonedx-core-java, published on 10 Nov 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
The CycloneDX core module provides a model representation of the SBOM along with utilities to assist in creating, validating, and parsing SBOMs. Starting in version 2.1.0 and prior to version 11.0.1, the XML `Validator` used by cyclonedx-core-java was not configured securely, making the library vulnerable to XML External Entity (XXE) injection. The fix for GHSA-683x-4444-jxh8 / CVE-2024-38374 was incomplete in that it only fixed parsing of XML BOMs, but not validation. The vulnerability has been fixed in cyclonedx-core-java version 11.0.1. As a workaround, applications can reject XML documents before handing them to cyclonedx-core-java for validation. This may be an option if incoming CycloneDX BOMs are known to be in JSON format.
Weakness: CWE-611
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-64518?
2 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.cyclonedx:cyclonedx-core-java.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
org.cyclonedx:cyclonedx-core-java Maven | From 2.1.0 | 11.0.1 |
org.cyclonedx:cyclonedx-core-java Maven | From 2.1.0 | 11.0.1 |
How do I fix CVE-2025-64518?
Upgrade org.cyclonedx:cyclonedx-core-java to 11.0.1 or later.
Is CVE-2025-64518 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-64518 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-6fhj-vr9j-g45r.