Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference ('XXE')

ID

scala.xxe.scala_xxe_rule_trans

Severity

high

Resource

Xxe

Language

Scala

Description

XML External Entity (XXE) attacks can occur when an XML parser supports XML entities while processing XML received from an untrusted source.

Rationale

XML External Entity (XXE) attacks can occur when an XML parser supports XML entities while processing XML received from an untrusted source.

The following code illustrates a vulnerable pattern detected by this rule:

def parseXMLdefaultValue(input: Source): Unit = {
  val factory = TransformerFactory.newInstance
  val transformer = factory.newTransformer
  val outWriter = new StringWriter
  val result = new StreamResult(outWriter)
  // VULNERABLE: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference ('XXE')
  transformer.transform(input, result)
  outWriter.toString
}

Remediation

Follow secure coding practices and review the references below for detailed remediation guidance.

Configuration

This detector does not need any configuration.

References