CVE-2014-7839 in JBoss Enterprise Application Platform
Summary
by MITRE
DocumentProvider in RESTEasy 2.3.7 and 3.0.9 does not configure the (1) external-general-entities or (2) external-parameter-entities features, which allows remote attackers to conduct XML external entity (XXE) attacks via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/10/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7839 resides within the DocumentProvider component of RESTEasy versions 2.3.7 and 3.0.9, representing a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute XML external entity attacks. This issue stems from the improper configuration of XML parsing settings that should normally restrict access to external entities during document processing. The vulnerability falls under the category of XML external entity processing weaknesses and aligns with CWE-611, which specifically addresses improper restriction of XML external entities. The flaw exists in the core XML processing functionality of RESTEasy, which is widely used in enterprise applications for handling RESTful web services and document exchange operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the DocumentProvider fails to explicitly disable external general entities and external parameter entities during XML parsing operations. This misconfiguration allows attackers to craft malicious XML payloads that reference external resources, potentially enabling data exfiltration, denial of service attacks, or server-side request forgery scenarios. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that the attack surface is broad and can potentially be exploited through various input channels within RESTEasy's document processing pipeline, including but not limited to HTTP request parameters, file uploads, or SOAP message processing components.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on RESTEasy for their web service implementations. Attackers can leverage XXE vulnerabilities to access internal network resources, read local files on the server, or even perform port scanning of internal systems. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it can bypass traditional network security controls and may allow unauthorized access to sensitive data within the organization's infrastructure. The vulnerability affects both RESTEasy 2.3.7 and 3.0.9 versions, indicating a prolonged period of exposure that could have allowed extensive exploitation across numerous enterprise deployments. This weakness directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1213.002, which covers data from local system repositories, and T1190, which addresses exploit public-facing application.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations that include updating to patched versions of RESTEasy where the XML parsing configurations have been properly hardened. The recommended approach involves explicitly setting the external-general-entities and external-parameter-entities features to false within the XML processing configuration. Security teams should also implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect potential XXE attack attempts, particularly focusing on unusual XML processing patterns or requests containing external entity references. Additional defensive measures include input validation and sanitization of all XML content, implementing XML schema validation, and deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block XXE attack patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper XML security configuration and aligns with industry best practices outlined in OWASP Top Ten 2017, specifically addressing the prevention of XML external entity processing attacks.