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openEQUELLA EUVDEUVD-2026-112566

| CVE-2026-66090 HIGH
Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (CWE-611)
2026-10-29 MON-CSIRT GHSA-555x-f7vj-p9qw
7.1
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: MON-CSIRT
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Obtain CREATE_ITEM account access
  2. Delivery
    Craft XML with external entity
  3. Exploit
    POST payload to /api/item
  4. Execution
    Server resolves entity (file read or SSRF)
  5. Impact
    Exfiltrate files or cloud metadata credentials

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

Requires an authenticated openEQUELLA account holding the CREATE_ITEM permission, which the attacker uses to submit crafted XML to the POST /api/item endpoint; the root condition is that the XML parser for item metadata does not disable external entity resolution. Exploitation is limited by that authentication/privilege requirement (PR:L - not anonymous) and by the attacker needing item-creation rights, so risk is highest on internet-exposed or multi-tenant deployments where untrusted or self-registered users can gain CREATE_ITEM. No user interaction is required and default behavior (external entities not disabled) is vulnerable on all versions before 2026.1. Impact scope includes any file readable by the openEQUELLA service account and any network location reachable by the server, notably cloud instance metadata services.

Impact

This is a genuine but authentication-gated issue rather than a drop-everything emergency. The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N) shows network reachability with low complexity and no user interaction, but PR:L confirms the attacker must already hold a valid account with the CREATE_ITEM privilege - exploitation is not anonymous. The primary impact is confidentiality (VC:H: arbitrary file read as the service account) plus a low subsequent-system impact (SC:L) reflecting SSRF reach into internal/cloud metadata endpoints; there is no integrity or availability impact in the vector. No EPSS score, KEV listing, or confirmed POC is present in the supplied data, so there is no signal of active or probable exploitation - the only urgency signal is the vendor/priority 'this_week' decision label, which is consistent with an authenticated, high-confidentiality XXE that is patchable. Net: a real priority to patch this week for internet-exposed or multi-tenant openEQUELLA instances where untrusted users can obtain item-creation rights, but it is not a wormable, unauthenticated mass-exploitation class issue. Missing data to note explicitly: EPSS probability is absent, KEV status is absent, and POC availability is unknown - none should be read as confirmed-safe.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker with a low-privileged openEQUELLA account that carries the CREATE_ITEM permission submits a crafted XML item-metadata payload to POST /api/item containing an external entity definition. Because external entity resolution is not disabled, the server either returns the contents of a local file readable by the service account (for example configuration or credential files) or issues an attacker-directed request, including to a cloud instance metadata service to steal temporary credentials. No public exploit is identified in the supplied data, but XXE of this form is straightforward to weaponize once account access is obtained.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 29, 2026

XML external entity injection in openEQUELLA before 2026.1 allows an authenticated user who holds the CREATE_ITEM permission to submit crafted item metadata to POST /api/item, causing the server to read files accessible to the openEQUELLA service account and to issue requests to attacker-chosen destinations, including cloud instance metadata services. The flaw is authentication-gated (CVSS:4.0 PR:L, no user interaction) and derives its severity from high confidentiality impact with no integrity or availability effect, plus a scope change because the server, not the attacker's client, performs the file and network access. No public exploit code or PoC has been identified at time of analysis and the issue is not in CISA KEV; vendor patches are available in 2026.1.

RemediationAI

Upgrade to openEQUELLA 2026.1, the vendor-released fixed version, which is the complete fix for this issue; consult the vendor advisory at https://github.com/openequella/openEQUELLA/security/advisories/GHSA-668q-3hpr-6c96 before rolling out. If upgrading cannot be completed immediately, reduce exposure by tightening who can reach the vulnerable path: the defect requires an authenticated account with CREATE_ITEM, so audit role assignments and remove CREATE_ITEM from untrusted, self-registered or multi-tenant accounts until the patch is applied, accepting that legitimate contributor workflows will be interrupted for those users. Additionally, because the exploit path turns the server into an outbound requester, restrict egress from the openEQUELLA host to internal services and block link-local access to cloud instance metadata endpoints (enforce IMDSv2 or equivalent where the platform supports it), with the trade-off that legitimate integrations calling external HTTP endpoints from item metadata parsing may break. Detection can focus on POST /api/item payloads containing DOCTYPE or external entity declarations, since no legitimate item metadata should carry them.

Affected VersionsENISA

openEQUELLA 0 <2026.1

Affected Packages

euvd openequella fix: 2026.1

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

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

Technical ContextAI · show details

The root cause is CWE-611, improper restriction of XML external entity references. openEQUELLA parses item metadata XML with a parser that leaves external entity resolution enabled, so a document containing a DOCTYPE with an external entity is resolved on the server side. Two consequences follow from the same defect: SYSTEM entities pointing at file:// paths return the contents of any file the service account can read, and entities pointing at http:// or similar schemes turn the parser into an SSRF primitive, with link-local cloud metadata endpoints (for example the 169.254.169.254 instance metadata service) explicitly in scope per the advisory. The CVSS:4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:N/SA:N) and the independent CVSS:3.1 assessment both describe a read-only exfiltration primitive: confidentiality is high but no write or denial-of-service effect is scored, and scope is marked changed because the vulnerable component is leveraged to reach file systems and network locations outside the parsing code itself. Affected CPE is cpe:2.3:a:apereo_foundation:openequella, covering all releases before 2026.1.

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Severity by source

Vendor (MON-CSIRT) PRIMARY 7.1 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 7.7 HIGH

Authenticated CREATE_ITEM user (PR:L) sends a network request with no interaction; XXE yields high confidentiality file read and SSRF beyond the component (S:C), with no integrity or availability impact.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (MON-CSIRT).

CVSS VectorVendor: MON-CSIRT

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

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 29, 2026 - 02:01 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 29, 2026 - 01:37 cve.org
HIGH 7.1

DescriptionCVE.org

In openEQUELLA before 2026.1, the XML parser used for item metadata does not disable external entity resolution. A user permitted to create items (CREATE_ITEM) can submit crafted XML to POST /api/item and cause the server to read arbitrary files accessible to the openEQUELLA service, or make requests to attacker-specified locations (SSRF), including cloud instance metadata services.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A high-severity XML external entity injection vulnerability in openEQUELLA (versions before 2026.1) enables authenticated users with item creation rights to access sensitive files and internal network resources, including cloud metadata services. This could lead to unauthorized disclosure of confidential data and exposure of cloud infrastructure credentials, impacting the organization's data security and regulatory compliance posture.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

Prevalence
Low
niche open-source education/learning-content repository, limited enterprise footprint
Social Media
1
Sightings
Data Quality
5 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 Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
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
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

36
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +36
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Server-Side Request Forgery exploits applications that fetch remote resources based on user-supplied URLs.

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

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