CVE-2017-5644: Poi Improper Restriction Of Recursive Entity Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-78vv-qj73-h9m5
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CVSS 5.5
CWE-776
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-5644 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.5) improper restriction of recursive entity vulnerability (CWE-776: Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs ('XML Entity Expansion')) affecting Poi libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper restriction of recursive entity references in dtds in apache poi. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.15.

CVE-2017-5644 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-5644
GHSA Identifier GHSA-78vv-qj73-h9m5
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.5
CWE Classification CWE-776: Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs ('XML Entity Expansion')
Affected Product Poi
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.5

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2017-5644

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

org.apache.poi:poi fixed: 3.15 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.poi</groupId>
    <artifactId>poi</artifactId>
    <version>3.15</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=org.apache.poi

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2017-5644, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.poi

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Poi in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.15), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.poi 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-776: Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs ('XML Entity Expansion'), where the product uses xml documents and allows their structure to be defined with a document type definition (dtd), but it does not properly control the number of recursive definitions of entities. In Poi, 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

Apache POI in versions prior to release 3.15 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via a specially crafted OOXML file, aka an XML Entity Expansion (XEE) attack.

CVE-2017-5644 Affected Poi Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.15
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.poi:poi
maven/org.apache.poi/poi
Maven
< 3.15
3.15

References

NVD — CVE-2017-5644 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-5644
Poi Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html
Poi Security Information SECURITY
http://poi.apache.org/#20+March+2017+-+CVE-2017-5644+-+Possible+DOS+%28Denial+of+Service%29+in+Apache+POI+versions+prior+to+3.15
Poi Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/96983

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-5644?
CVE-2017-5644 is a security vulnerability in Poi involving Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs in Apache POI under CWE-776: Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs ('XML Entity Expansion').
Which Poi versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.15 across affected packages: org.apache.poi:poi.
What version fixes CVE-2017-5644?
Upgrading to 3.15 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is poi affected?
Yes, org.apache.poi:poi is affected in releases prior to 3.15. Upgrade your dependency to 3.15 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-5644?
CVE-2017-5644 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2017-5644?
CVE-2017-5644 is classified under CWE-776: Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs ('XML Entity Expansion') (The product uses XML documents and allows their structure to be defined with a Document Type Definition (DTD), but it does not properly control the number of recursive definitions of entities.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2017-5644?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.poi'. 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-78vv-qj73-h9m5",
  "modified" : "2022-07-01T16:57:07Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:14:24Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-5644" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs in Apache POI",
  "details" : "Apache POI in versions prior to release 3.15 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via a specially crafted OOXML file, aka an XML Entity Expansion (XEE) attack.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.poi:poi"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.15"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-5644"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://poi.apache.org/#20+March+2017+-+CVE-2017-5644+-+Possible+DOS+%28Denial+of+Service%29+in+Apache+POI+versions+prior+to+3.15"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/96983"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-776" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-07-01T16:57:07Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2017-03-24T14:59:00Z"
  }
}