How severe is CVE-2017-12620?

CVE-2017-12620 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2017-12620 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (86th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2017-12620?

CVE-2017-12620 primarily affects Apache Opennlp. In total, 10 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-12620?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2017-12620 published?

CVE-2017-12620 was published on 2017-10-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-12620

CVE-2017-12620 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Apache Opennlp with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-611.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (86th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-611
Affected product: Apache Opennlp
Published: 2017-10-03
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

When loading models or dictionaries that contain XML it is possible to perform an XXE attack, since Apache OpenNLP is a library, this only affects applications that load models or dictionaries from untrusted sources. The versions 1.5.0 to 1.5.3, 1.6.0, 1.7.0 to 1.7.2, 1.8.0 to 1.8.1 of Apache OpenNLP are affected.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-12620?: When loading models or dictionaries that contain XML it is possible to perform an XXE attack, since Apache OpenNLP is a library, this only affects applications that load models or dictionaries from untrusted sources. The versions 1.5.0 to 1.5.3, 1.6.0, 1.7.0 to 1.7.2, 1.8.0 to 1.8.1 of Apache OpenNLP are affected.
How severe is CVE-2017-12620?: CVE-2017-12620 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2017-12620 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (86th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-12620?: CVE-2017-12620 primarily affects Apache Opennlp. In total, 10 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-12620?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2017-12620 published?: CVE-2017-12620 was published on 2017-10-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

http://opennlp.apache.org/news/cve-2017-12620.html

Affected products (10)

cpe:2.3:a:apache:opennlp:1.5.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:opennlp:1.5.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:opennlp:1.5.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:opennlp:1.5.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:opennlp:1.6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:opennlp:1.7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:opennlp:1.7.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:opennlp:1.7.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:opennlp:1.8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:opennlp:1.8.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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