CVE-2017-20151

Local resource disclosure via external XFA entities

Published Dec 30, 2022 · Updated Aug 5, 2024

XXE in XfaFile in iText RUPS 7.0.1 and earlier allows attackers to read local resources through a crafted PDF. XfaFile passes embedded XFA XML to a dom4j SAXReader that, before the patch, resolves external entities instead of replacing them with empty input. Exploitation requires the crafted PDF to be opened in the desktop application; entity expansion then exposes resources reachable by the victim process.

CVSS severity9.8
Critical
EPSS probability0.75%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

XXE in XfaFile in iText RUPS 7.0.1 and earlier allows attackers to read local resources through a crafted PDF. XfaFile passes embedded XFA XML to a dom4j SAXReader that, before the patch, resolves external entities instead of replacing them with empty input. Exploitation requires the crafted PDF to be opened in the desktop application; entity expansion then exposes resources reachable by the victim process.

The record

CVE
CVE-2017-20151
Published
Dec 30, 2022
Updated
Aug 5, 2024
Vendor
iText
Product
RUPS
Classifications
CWE-611
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Dec 30, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 5, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

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  1. Affected versionversion=n/a

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

iText · RUPSversion=n/a

Published CVSS scores

5.5VulDBCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
9.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
5.2VulDBAV:A/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-611Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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