CVE-2023-24443: TestComplete XML Entity Expansion Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-g5mj-c26g-vmpm
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-776 CWE-611
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-24443 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) xml entity expansion vulnerability (CWE-776: Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs ('XML Entity Expansion')) affecting TestComplete libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves xml entity expansion in jenkins testcomplete support plugin. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.9.

CVE-2023-24443 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-24443
GHSA Identifier GHSA-g5mj-c26g-vmpm
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-776: Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs ('XML Entity Expansion')
Affected Product TestComplete
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

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 High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2023-24443

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected TestComplete 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.jenkins-ci.plugins:TestComplete fixed: 2.9 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.jenkins-ci.plugins</groupId>
    <artifactId>TestComplete</artifactId>
    <version>2.9</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=org.jenkins-ci.plugins

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2023-24443, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.jenkins-ci.plugins

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of TestComplete in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.9), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.jenkins-ci.plugins 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 TestComplete, 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

Jenkins TestComplete support Plugin 2.8.1 and earlier does not configure its XML parser to prevent XML external entity (XXE) attacks.

CVE-2023-24443 Affected TestComplete Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.9
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.jenkins-ci.plugins:TestComplete
maven/org.jenkins-ci.plugins/TestComplete
Maven
< 2.9
2.9

References

NVD — CVE-2023-24443 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-24443
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/jenkinsci/testcomplete-plugin/commit/971003ea578a090ed9a5b9487acb9d2aa93645d3
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/jenkinsci/testcomplete-plugin/commit/cfb0fc3cd807cb72c24424cef98ce39710f2e5fb
TestComplete Security Information SECURITY
https://www.jenkins.io/security/advisory/2023-01-24/#SECURITY-2741

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-24443?
CVE-2023-24443 is a security vulnerability in TestComplete involving XML Entity Expansion in Jenkins TestComplete support Plugin under CWE-776: Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs ('XML Entity Expansion').
Which TestComplete versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.9 across affected packages: org.jenkins-ci.plugins:TestComplete.
What version fixes CVE-2023-24443?
Upgrading to 2.9 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is TestComplete affected?
Yes, org.jenkins-ci.plugins:TestComplete is affected in releases prior to 2.9. Upgrade your dependency to 2.9 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-24443?
CVE-2023-24443 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-24443?
CVE-2023-24443 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-2023-24443?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.jenkins-ci.plugins'. 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-g5mj-c26g-vmpm",
  "modified" : "2023-02-03T20:36:33Z",
  "published" : "2023-01-26T21:30:18Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-24443" ],
  "summary" : "XML Entity Expansion in Jenkins TestComplete support Plugin",
  "details" : "Jenkins TestComplete support Plugin 2.8.1 and earlier does not configure its XML parser to prevent XML external entity (XXE) attacks.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.jenkins-ci.plugins:TestComplete"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.9"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2.8.1"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-24443"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jenkinsci/testcomplete-plugin/commit/971003ea578a090ed9a5b9487acb9d2aa93645d3"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jenkinsci/testcomplete-plugin/commit/cfb0fc3cd807cb72c24424cef98ce39710f2e5fb"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.jenkins.io/security/advisory/2023-01-24/#SECURITY-2741"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-611", "CWE-776" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-01-27T01:00:03Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-01-26T21:18:00Z"
  }
}