CVE 9.1 CRITICAL

Apache OpenNLP: XXE via Dictionary Parsing in DictionaryEntryPersistor_CVE-2026-40682

9.1 / 10
CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

Description

XML External Entity (XXE) via Unsanitized Dictionary Parsing in Apache OpenNLP DictionaryEntryPersistor


Versions Affected: before 2.5.9, before 3.0.0-M3


Description: The DictionaryEntryPersistor class initializes a static SAXParserFactory at class-load time without enabling FEATURE_SECURE_PROCESSING or disabling DTD processing. When create(InputStream, EntryInserter) is invoked, the only feature set on the XMLReader is namespace support — external entity resolution and DOCTYPE declarations remain fully enabled. An attacker who can supply a crafted dictionary file (e.g., a stop-word list or domain dictionary) containing a malicious DOCTYPE declaration can trigger local file disclosure via file:// entity references or server-side request forgery via http:// entity references during SAX parsing, before the application processes a single dictionary entry. This is inconsistent with the project's own XmlUtil.createSaxParser() helper, which correctly sets FEATURE_SECURE_PROCESSING and disallow-doctype-decl and is used by all other XML parsing paths in the codebase. The public Dictionary(InputStream) constructor delegates directly to this method and is the documented API for loading user-supplied dictionaries, making untrusted input a realistic scenario.


Mitigation: 2.x users should upgrade to 2.5.9. 3.x users should upgrade to 3.0.0-M3. Users who cannot upgrade immediately should ensure that all dictionary files are sourced from trusted origins and should consider wrapping the Dictionary(InputStream) constructor with input validation that rejects any XML containing a DOCTYPE declaration before it reaches the parser.

AI Analysis

XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in Apache OpenNLP DictionaryEntryPersistor via unsanitized dictionary parsing, allowing local file disclosure or server-side request forgery

Basic Information

ID CVE-2026-40682
Source apache
Published May 4, 2026 at 16:55
Modified May 5, 2026 at 15:02

Affected Product

Vendor Apache Software Foundation
Product Apache OpenNLP
Affected Versions Apache Software Foundation Apache OpenNLP 0
Apache Software Foundation Apache OpenNLP 3.0

CWE Classification

AI Assessment

AI Score 9.1 / 10
AI Severity Critical
Vendor Apache Software Foundation
Product Apache OpenNLP
Version before 2.5.9, before 3.0.0-M3

References

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