CVE-2021-23901: An XML external entity (XXE) injection vulnerability exists in the Nutch DmozParser

Severity: critical (CVSS 9.1 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 4.4% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2021-01-25 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-611

Description

An XML external entity (XXE) injection vulnerability was discovered in the Nutch DmozParser and is known to affect Nutch versions < 1.18. XML external entity injection (also known as XXE) is a web security vulnerability that allows an attacker to interfere with an application's processing of XML data. It often allows an attacker to view files on the application server filesystem, and to interact with any back-end or external systems that the application itself can access. This issue is fixed in Apache Nutch 1.18.

Affected products

Apache Software Foundation Apache Nutch: before 1.18 — fixed in 1.18
NetApp Snap Creator Framework: all versions

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Apache Software Foundation Apache Nutch 1.18. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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