CVE-2013-7315 in Spring Framework
Summary
by MITRE
The Spring MVC in Spring Framework before 3.2.4 and 4.0.0.M1 through 4.0.0.M2 does not disable external entity resolution for the StAX XMLInputFactory, which allows context-dependent attackers to read arbitrary files, cause a denial of service, and conduct CSRF attacks via crafted XML with JAXB, aka an XML External Entity (XXE) issue, and a different vulnerability than CVE-2013-4152. NOTE: this issue was SPLIT from CVE-2013-4152 due to different affected versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/19/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2013-7315 represents a critical XML External Entity (XXE) flaw within the Spring Framework's Spring MVC implementation. This security weakness affects versions prior to 3.2.4 and specific milestone releases of version 4.0.0, creating a significant risk for applications that process XML data through JAXB (Java Architecture for XML Binding) operations. The vulnerability stems from the framework's failure to properly configure the StAX XMLInputFactory to disable external entity resolution, which is a fundamental security control that should prevent malicious XML documents from accessing local resources or initiating denial of service attacks.
The technical nature of this flaw resides in the improper handling of XML parsing within the Spring MVC framework's XML processing pipeline. When applications use JAXB for XML data binding and the underlying StAX XMLInputFactory is not configured to disable external entities, attackers can craft malicious XML documents that reference external entities or system resources. This misconfiguration allows context-dependent attackers to exploit the vulnerability by submitting specially crafted XML payloads that can read arbitrary files from the server filesystem, potentially exposing sensitive data such as configuration files, database credentials, or application source code. The vulnerability also enables denial of service conditions through resource exhaustion attacks and can facilitate cross-site request forgery attacks by leveraging the XML processing capabilities to manipulate application behavior.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses severe risks to organizations relying on Spring Framework applications that process external XML data. The attack surface is particularly concerning for web applications that accept XML input from untrusted sources, including web services, API endpoints, and file upload functionalities. The ability to read arbitrary files means that attackers could potentially access sensitive system information, user data, or application configuration details that should remain protected. The denial of service component of this vulnerability could disrupt application availability, while the CSRF implications suggest that attackers might be able to manipulate application state or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-611 (Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference) and represents a variant of the broader XXE attack pattern that has been documented extensively in cybersecurity literature.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by upgrading to Spring Framework versions 3.2.4 or 4.0.0.M3 and later, which contain the necessary fixes for this XXE vulnerability. Additionally, implementing proper XML parsing configurations that explicitly disable external entity resolution through the StAX XMLInputFactory is crucial for environments where immediate upgrades are not feasible. Security measures should include input validation for XML data, implementation of XML schema validation, and monitoring for suspicious XML processing activities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1213 (Data from Information Repositories) and T1499 (Endpoint Denial of Service) techniques, emphasizing the potential for both data exfiltration and service disruption. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and XML parsing security controls to provide additional defense-in-depth layers against similar vulnerabilities in their application environments.