CVE-2018-1259 in Spring Data Commons
Summary
by MITRE
Spring Data Commons, versions 1.13 prior to 1.13.12 and 2.0 prior to 2.0.7, used in combination with XMLBeam 1.4.14 or earlier versions, contains a property binder vulnerability caused by improper restriction of XML external entity references as underlying library XMLBeam does not restrict external reference expansion. An unauthenticated remote malicious user can supply specially crafted request parameters against Spring Data's projection-based request payload binding to access arbitrary files on the system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/15/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1259 represents a critical security flaw in Spring Data Commons that emerged from the improper handling of XML external entity references within the XMLBeam library integration. This issue affects versions prior to 1.13.12 and 2.0.7, creating a significant attack surface for malicious actors who can exploit the property binder functionality to gain unauthorized access to system resources. The vulnerability stems from the underlying XMLBeam library version 1.4.14 or earlier, which fails to properly restrict external reference expansion during XML processing operations. The flaw allows unauthenticated remote attackers to craft malicious request parameters that leverage Spring Data's projection-based request payload binding mechanism to access arbitrary files on the target system.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of XML data structures that are processed by Spring Data Commons when combined with XMLBeam. The property binder in Spring Data Commons accepts request parameters that are mapped to object properties, and when these parameters contain malicious XML content with external entity references, the underlying XMLBeam library processes these entities without proper restrictions. This creates a path for attackers to perform server-side request forgery attacks or local file inclusion attacks by crafting specific XML payloads that reference external entities pointing to local system files. The vulnerability specifically impacts the projection-based request payload binding functionality, which allows developers to map incoming request data to specific object properties, making it particularly dangerous in applications that rely heavily on dynamic data binding.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-1259 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with the capability to access arbitrary files on the system, potentially leading to complete system compromise. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to read sensitive configuration files, database credentials, application source code, or other confidential information stored on the target server. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require any authentication credentials to exploit the flaw, making it particularly dangerous for publicly accessible applications. Additionally, the vulnerability can be combined with other attack vectors to escalate privileges or gain further access to the underlying infrastructure, potentially leading to full system compromise or data exfiltration. This type of vulnerability is categorized under CWE-611, which specifically addresses improper restriction of XML external entity references, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002 for Data from Information Repositories, highlighting the potential for unauthorized data access and exfiltration.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to Spring Data Commons versions 1.13.12 or 2.0.7, which contain the necessary fixes to properly restrict XML external entity expansion. The XMLBeam library should also be updated to versions that properly handle external entity references, or alternatively, applications should be configured to disable external entity processing entirely. Network-level mitigations such as firewalls and web application firewalls can help reduce the attack surface by blocking suspicious XML content, while application-level protections should include input validation and sanitization of all XML data before processing. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual file access patterns or XML processing activities that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper XML security configuration and highlights the risks associated with third-party library dependencies that may not properly implement security controls for external entity handling, making comprehensive dependency management and regular security assessments essential for maintaining application security posture.