CVE-2016-3674: Xstream XML External Entity Injection Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-rgh3-987h-wpmw
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-200
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-3674 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) xml external entity injection vulnerability (CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) affecting Xstream libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves xml external entity injection in xstream. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.4.9.

CVE-2016-3674 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-3674
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rgh3-987h-wpmw
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Affected Product Xstream
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2016-3674

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Xstream dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream fixed: 1.4.9 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.thoughtworks.xstream</groupId>
    <artifactId>xstream</artifactId>
    <version>1.4.9</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.thoughtworks.xstream

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2016-3674, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.thoughtworks.xstream

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Xstream in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.4.9), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.thoughtworks.xstream command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor, where the product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information. In Xstream, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Multiple XML external entity (XXE) vulnerabilities in the (1) Dom4JDriver, (2) DomDriver, (3) JDomDriver, (4) JDom2Driver, (5) SjsxpDriver, (6) StandardStaxDriver, and (7) WstxDriver drivers in XStream before 1.4.9 allow remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a crafted XML document.

CVE-2016-3674 Affected Xstream Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.4.9
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream
maven/com.thoughtworks.xstream/xstream
Maven
< 1.4.9
1.4.9

References

NVD — CVE-2016-3674 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-3674
Xstream Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/x-stream/xstream/issues/25
Xstream Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/x-stream/xstream
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-java-comt... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-COMTHOUGHTWORKSXSTREAM-30385
lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-a... WEB
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2016-April/183180.html
lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-a... WEB
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2016-April/183208.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016-28... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2822.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016-28... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2823.html
Xstream Security Information SECURITY
http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3575
Xstream Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/03/25/8
Xstream Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/03/28/1
Xstream Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/85381
Xstream Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1036419
x-stream.github.io/changes.html WEB
http://x-stream.github.io/changes.html#1.4.9

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-3674?
CVE-2016-3674 is a security vulnerability in Xstream involving XML External Entity Injection in XStream under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor.
Which Xstream versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.4.9 across affected packages: com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream.
What version fixes CVE-2016-3674?
Upgrading to 1.4.9 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is xstream affected?
Yes, com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream is affected in releases prior to 1.4.9. Upgrade your dependency to 1.4.9 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-3674?
CVE-2016-3674 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-3674?
CVE-2016-3674 is classified under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2016-3674?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.thoughtworks.xstream'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-rgh3-987h-wpmw",
  "modified" : "2025-05-23T19:00:03Z",
  "published" : "2020-06-30T22:48:14Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-3674" ],
  "summary" : "XML External Entity Injection in XStream",
  "details" : "Multiple XML external entity (XXE) vulnerabilities in the (1) Dom4JDriver, (2) DomDriver, (3) JDomDriver, (4) JDom2Driver, (5) SjsxpDriver, (6) StandardStaxDriver, and (7) WstxDriver drivers in XStream before 1.4.9 allow remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a crafted XML document.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.4.9"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-3674"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/x-stream/xstream/issues/25"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/x-stream/xstream"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-COMTHOUGHTWORKSXSTREAM-30385"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2016-April/183180.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2016-April/183208.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2822.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2823.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3575"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/03/25/8"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/03/28/1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/85381"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1036419"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://x-stream.github.io/changes.html#1.4.9"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-30T22:47:58Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2016-05-17T14:08:03Z"
  }
}