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CVE-2025-52888 represents a severe XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability residing within the xunit-xml-plugin component of Allure Report. The security flaw stems from insecure default configurations of the Java DocumentBuilderFactory parser class, which fails to explicitly disable external general entities and parameter entities during XML parsing operations. When developers or automated CI/CD build pipelines parse untrusted or externally sourced XML test result files, the underlying XML parser eagerly evaluates embedded DTD definitions. This behavior allows malicious actors to construct specialized XML payloads containing external file references or out-of-band network directives. Once the vulnerable application processes the crafted test results file, the parser attempts to resolve the external references by reading local system files, environment variables, source code, or internal configuration credentials. Furthermore, attackers can leverage this mechanism to perform Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) attacks or initiate denial-of-service conditions against internal microservices. In typical continuous integration environments where test reports are automatically generated, this vulnerability provides an automated vector for complete data exfiltration without requiring prior authentication. The lack of proper entity restriction flags in DocumentBuilderFactory remains a classic pitfall in Java XML processing pipelines. Remediation requires explicitly setting features such as disallowing doctypes and external general entities to ensure safe evaluation of parser inputs. Without these defenses, any pipeline ingesting third-party or untrusted XML artifacts remains vulnerable to total confidentiality and integrity compromise.
DailyCVE Form:
Platform: Allure Report
Version: Affected versions below
Vulnerability: XML External Entity
Severity: Critical
date: June 2025
Prediction: Patch released early
What Undercode Say
curl -X POST "http://target-ci/api/reports" -H "Content-Type: application/xml" --data-binary "@payload.xml"
DocumentBuilderFactory factory = DocumentBuilderFactory.newInstance(); DocumentBuilder builder = factory.newDocumentBuilder();
Exploit: (Educational Purposes!)
An attacker creates a malicious XML test result file containing a customized Document Type Definition (DTD) that references a local sensitive file, such as `/etc/passwd` or internal configuration secrets.
<!DOCTYPE test [ <!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "file:///etc/passwd"> ]> <testsuites> <testsuite name="ExploitSuite"> <testcase name="InjectionCase">&xxe;</testcase> </testsuite> </testsuites>
When the target system or CI/CD runner parses this XML file using the vulnerable Allure plugin, the parser resolves the entity &xxe;, reads the contents of the local file, and potentially leaks it via error messages or out-of-band HTTP/DNS requests to an attacker-controlled server.
Protection: from this CVE
To protect applications against CVE-2025-52888, developers must explicitly disable external entities and DTD declarations when initializing the `DocumentBuilderFactory` instance.
DocumentBuilderFactory dbf = DocumentBuilderFactory.newInstance();
dbf.setFeature("http://apache.org/xml/features/disallow-doctype-decl", true);
dbf.setFeature("http://xml.org/sax/features/external-general-entities", false);
dbf.setFeature("http://xml.org/sax/features/external-parameter-entities", false);
dbf.setFeature("http://apache.org/xml/features/nonvalidating/load-external-dtd", false);
dbf.setXIncludeAware(false);
dbf.setExpandEntityReferences(false);
Additionally, ensure that all dependencies, specifically the xunit-xml-plugin, are updated to the latest patched version provided by the vendor.
Impact:
Successful exploitation of CVE-2025-52888 leads to severe security consequences, primarily the unauthorized disclosure of confidential files stored on the host system, including application source code, configuration files, environment variables, and system credentials. In automated CI/CD pipelines, this exposure compromises the entire build server infrastructure, potentially allowing attackers to pivot deeper into internal corporate networks, poison subsequent software releases with malicious code, or achieve full remote code execution depending on secondary system configurations and accessible services.
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Sources:
Reported By: github.com
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