CVE-2026-28809

MEDIUMCVSS 6.3/10EPSS 0.28%

Last modified

CVE-2026-28809 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 6.3/10 on the CVSS scale. XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in esaml (and its forks) allows an attacker to cause the system to read local files and incorporate their contents into processed SAML documents, and potentially perform SSRF via crafted SAML messages. esaml parses attacker-controlled SAML messages using xmerl_scan:string/2 before signature verification without disabling XML entity expansion. On Erlang/OTP versions before 27, Xmerl allows entities by default, enabling pre-signature XXE attacks. EPSS estimates a 0.28% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in esaml (and its forks) allows an attacker to cause the system to read local files and incorporate their contents into processed SAML documents, and potentially perform SSRF via crafted SAML messages. esaml parses attacker-controlled SAML messages using xmerl_scan:string/2 before signature verification without disabling XML entity expansion. On Erlang/OTP versions before 27, Xmerl allows entities by default, enabling pre-signature XXE attacks. An attacker can cause the host to read local files (e.g., Kubernetes-mounted secrets) into the SAML document. If the attacker is not a trusted SAML SP, signature verification will fail and the document is discarded, but file contents may still be exposed through logs or error messages. This issue affects all versions of esaml, including forks by arekinath, handnot2, and dropbox. Users running on Erlang/OTP 27 or later are not affected due to Xmerl defaulting to entities disabled.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1
5.3/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

CVSS 4.0
6.3/10

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

EPSS Probability
0.28%

19.8th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

VendorProductVersions
ArekinathEsaml<= 1.1
DropboxEsamlAll versions
Handnot2Esaml<= 4.2.0
Jump-AppEsaml<= 4.6.0

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-28809?
XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in esaml (and its forks) allows an attacker to cause the system to read local files and incorporate their contents into processed SAML documents, and potentially perform SSRF via crafted SAML messages. esaml parses attacker-controlled SAML messages using xmerl_scan:string/2 before signature verification without disabling XML entity expansion. On Erlang/OTP versions before 27, Xmerl allows entities by default, enabling pre-signature XXE attacks. An attacker can cause the host to read local files (e.g., Kubernetes-mounted secrets) into the SAML document. If the attacker is not a trusted SAML SP, signature verification will fail and the document is discarded, but file contents may still be exposed through logs or error messages. This issue affects all versions of esaml, including forks by arekinath, handnot2, and dropbox. Users running on Erlang/OTP 27 or later are not affected due to Xmerl defaulting to entities disabled.
How severe is CVE-2026-28809?
CVE-2026-28809 has a CVSS score of 6.3/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.28% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2026-28809?
Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2026-28809?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

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Source: NVD / NIST