How severe is CVE-2018-11788?

CVE-2018-11788 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-2018-11788 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 7% (94th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-11788?

CVE-2018-11788 primarily affects Apache Karaf. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-11788?

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-2018-11788 published?

CVE-2018-11788 was published on 2019-01-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-11788

CVE-2018-11788 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Apache Karaf 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: 7% (94th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-611
Affected product: Apache Karaf
Published: 2019-01-07
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Apache Karaf provides a features deployer, which allows users to "hot deploy" a features XML by dropping the file directly in the deploy folder. The features XML is parsed by XMLInputFactory class. Apache Karaf XMLInputFactory class doesn't contain any mitigation codes against XXE. This is a potential security risk as an user can inject external XML entities in Apache Karaf version prior to 4.1.7 or 4.2.2. It has been fixed in Apache Karaf 4.1.7 and 4.2.2 releases.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-11788?: Apache Karaf provides a features deployer, which allows users to "hot deploy" a features XML by dropping the file directly in the deploy folder. The features XML is parsed by XMLInputFactory class. Apache Karaf XMLInputFactory class doesn't contain any mitigation codes against XXE. This is a potential security risk as an user can inject external XML entities in Apache Karaf version prior to 4.1.7 or 4.2.2. It has been fixed in Apache Karaf 4.1.7 and 4.2.2 releases.
How severe is CVE-2018-11788?: CVE-2018-11788 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-2018-11788 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 7% (94th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-11788?: CVE-2018-11788 primarily affects Apache Karaf. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-11788?: 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-2018-11788 published?: CVE-2018-11788 was published on 2019-01-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (3)

cpe:2.3:a:apache:karaf:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:karaf:4.2.0:milestone1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:apache:karaf:4.2.0:milestone2:*:*:*:*:*:*

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