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Apache Abdera EUVDEUVD-2026-108166

| CVE-2026-113582 HIGH
Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (CWE-611)
2026-10-22 apache GHSA-7wc2-gp9g-c8r6
8.7
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: apache
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Reach XML-accepting endpoint unauthenticated
  2. Exploit
    Submit XML with external entity
  3. Execution
    Abdera parser resolves entity
  4. Impact
    Exfiltrate local files or trigger SSRF

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A02:2025 - Security Misconfiguration
ASVS 5.0
V13 - Configuration XML external entity prevention
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Collection

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires that an application actually feed attacker-controlled XML into Apache Abdera's parser or its JDBC adapter parsing paths - the vendor names these as the specific vulnerable code paths. Per the CVSS vector (PR:N/UI:N) the request is unauthenticated and needs no user interaction, and all versions are affected. The key limiting factors are deployment-dependent rather than configuration flags: the target must still embed the retired Abdera artifact and must route untrusted XML to it; environments that do not expose Abdera to external/untrusted XML are not exploitable. Because the product is retired with no patch, the only remediation per the vendor is migrating to a maintained alternative or ensuring untrusted XML cannot reach the affected parser.

Impact

Signals are moderate and largely consistent. The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N) describes a network-reachable, low-complexity, unauthenticated flaw, but the vulnerable-system impact is confined to confidentiality (VC:H; VI:N/VA:N), matching an XXE that leaks data and performs server-side requests rather than granting code execution or integrity/availability loss. The vuln.today decision label is 'this_week' (not act_now/emergency), it is NOT in CISA KEV, no EPSS probability was supplied, and no exploit/PoC reference appears in the input - so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and no evidence of active exploitation. The crucial mitigating reality is that Apache Abdera is retired and unsupported: there will be no vendor fix, so risk persists indefinitely wherever the library remains embedded, but its real-world footprint is small. This is therefore a genuine but bounded priority: a high-base-score bug whose practical exposure depends entirely on whether an application still routes untrusted XML into Abdera's parser or JDBC adapter. EPSS was not provided and cannot be weighed; the 'all versions affected' claim is vendor-asserted and not version-pinned to any fixed release because none exists.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An application that uses Apache Abdera to parse XML received from users (e.g., an Atom/APP feed or document upload endpoint) accepts a document containing a malicious external entity. When Abdera's parser resolves the entity, the attacker reads local files such as configuration or credentials, or coerces the server into making requests to internal systems (SSRF). No public exploit code is identified in the provided data, but XXE via entity injection is straightforward to craft given the network, unauthenticated access profile.

Monitor Track and reassess. Why: Vendor states no customer action required.
No patch listed yet

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 22, 2026

XML external entity injection in Apache Abdera (all versions) allows unauthenticated remote attackers to read sensitive data or trigger server-side requests when an application feeds attacker-controlled XML into Abdera's parser or JDBC adapter parsing paths. The project is retired and unsupported, so Apache states it will not issue a fix, and downstream products that still bundle the Abdera artifact remain exposed. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, and exploitation is deployment-dependent: the target must still embed Abdera and route untrusted XML to it.

RemediationAI

No vendor-released patch will be issued: Apache Abdera is retired and unsupported, and the vendor recommends migrating to a maintained alternative. If migration is not immediately possible, the vendor-directed compensating control is to ensure untrusted XML cannot reach Abdera's parser or JDBC adapter parsing paths; this means removing the Abdera dependency from services that accept external XML or otherwise preventing such XML from entering those code paths, with the trade-off that any feature depending on Abdera parsing is lost or reduced. Downstream products that bundle the Abdera artifact should be treated as affected until their maintainers confirm removal or isolation. Track vendor references at https://attic.apache.org/projects/abdera.html and https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/j32tow7bhfnn2p0obsqy1mhg1qs7hq91; given the this_week decision signal, schedule an exposure review within the current week.

Affected VersionsENISA

Apache Abdera cb5a3646fc8b2a620dba5bdde3a6b7a3753b1be2 ≤*
Apache Abdera 0 ≤*

Affects your stack

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Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

Apache Abdera is a Java library implementing the Atom Syndication Format and AtomPub protocol; it is retired and hosted in the Apache Attic. The flaw is CWE-611 (Improper Restriction of XML External Entity References): when Abdera parses XML supplied by an attacker, external entity references are not adequately restricted, allowing out-of-band file reads or server-side requests from the host running the application. The vendor specifically identifies the Abdera parser and JDBC adapter parsing paths as the routes that must be kept away from untrusted XML. All versions are affected (CPE cpe:2.3:a:apache_software_foundation:apache_abdera:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*), and the supplied CVSS vectors rate it network-reachable, unauthenticated (PR:N), and requiring no user interaction (UI:N), with high confidentiality impact only (VC:H/VI:N/VA:N; assessed CVSS:3.1 C:H/I:N/A:N). The trigger details beyond XML parsing are not described in the available sources.

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Severity by source

Vendor (apache) PRIMARY 8.7 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 7.5 HIGH

Unauthenticated network XML parsing (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N); impact is confidentiality-only file/SSRF data disclosure (C:H, I:N, A:N), scope unchanged per vendor's SC:N.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (apache).

CVSS VectorVendor: apache

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
None
Vulnerable system: Availability
None
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

UNSUPPORTED WHEN ASSIGNED Improper restriction of XML external entity references in Apache Abdera allows an attacker to access sensitive data or make server-side requests when an application parses attacker-controlled XML with Abdera.

This issue affects Apache Abdera: all versions.

Apache Abdera is retired and no longer supported, so we do not plan to release a version that fixes this issue. Users are recommended to migrate to a maintained alternative. Applications that cannot migrate should ensure that untrusted XML cannot reach the affected Abdera parser or JDBC adapter parsing paths. Actively maintained downstream products may still be impacted if they include an affected Abdera artifact.

NOTE: This vulnerability only affects products that are no longer supported by the maintainer.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

CVE-2026-113582 is a high-severity vulnerability in Apache Abdera, a retired XML processing library that may still be bundled in downstream products. Because the project is unsupported and no patch will be issued, any organization using applications that embed Abdera faces a persistent data exposure risk that cannot be resolved through vendor updates. Leadership should prioritize identifying and remediating affected systems, as the flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to read sensitive data or trigger server-side requests, depending on deployment.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations include: disable external entity and DTD processing in the XML parser layer; restrict network egress from application servers to limit server-side request forgery impact; apply input validation to reject XML containing external entity declarations; isolate affected applications behind network segmentation and enhanced monitoring; prioritize replacement of Abdera with a supported alternative.

Threat Intelligence Overview

Prevalence
Low
retired niche Java Atom library, limited mostly to legacy embeddings
Social Media
1
Sightings
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS N/A
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
Vendor states no customer action required
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
Yes
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

44
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +44
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

XML External Entity (XXE) attacks exploit XML parsers that process Document Type Definitions (DTDs) without proper restrictions.

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

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