CVE-2020-25911Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Information disclosure via unsanitized XML parsing

Published Oct 31, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

XXE in MODX CMS 2.7.3 allows remote attackers to disclose information or cause denial of service via crafted XML requests. The modRestServiceRequest component's _collectRequestParameters function passes text/xml request content directly to simplexml_load_string without disabling external entities or sanitizing input, allowing external entity resolution such as local-file reads or resource-fetching payloads. Network access requires no authentication or user interaction according to the published CVSS assessment, and impacts are bounded to information disclosure and service interruption.

CVSS severity9.1
Critical
EPSS probability2.38%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

XXE in MODX CMS 2.7.3 allows remote attackers to disclose information or cause denial of service via crafted XML requests. The modRestServiceRequest component's _collectRequestParameters function passes text/xml request content directly to simplexml_load_string without disabling external entities or sanitizing input, allowing external entity resolution such as local-file reads or resource-fetching payloads. Network access requires no authentication or user interaction according to the published CVSS assessment, and impacts are bounded to information disclosure and service interruption.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-25911
Published
Oct 31, 2021
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-611, T1190
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 31, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 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?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

9.1NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
6.4NVDAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/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 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-611Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference
T1190Exploit Public-Facing Application

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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