What’s Vulnerable › Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-22186: Bio-Formats <= 8.3.0 XXE in Leica XLEF Metadata Parser

• Severity: high (CVSS 7.1 v3.1)
• Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
• EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
• Public exploit or detection template: none known
• Published: 2026-01-07 · updated 2026-10-08
• Weakness: CWE-611

Description

Bio-Formats versions up to and including 8.3.0 contain an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in the Leica Microsystems metadata parsing component (e.g., XLEF). The parser uses an insecurely configured DocumentBuilderFactory when processing Leica XML-based metadata files, allowing external entity expansion and external DTD loading. A crafted metadata file can trigger outbound network requests (SSRF), access local system resources where readable, or cause a denial of service during XML parsing.

Affected products

• Open Microscopy Environment Bio-Formats: through 8.3.0

References

• https://docs.openmicroscopy.org/bio-formats/
• https://github.com/ome/bioformats/security/advisories/GHSA-x9vc-qh97-8gjp
• https://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2026/Jan/6
• https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/bio-formats-xxe-in-leica-xlef-metadata-parser

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