AssertJ provides Fluent testing assertions for Java and the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Starting in version 1.4.0 and prior to version 3.27.7, an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability exists in org.assertj.core.util.xml.XmlStringPrettyFormatter: the toXmlDocument(String) method initializes DocumentBuilderFactory with default settings, without disabling DTDs or external entities. This formatter is used by the isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence) assertion for CharSequence values. An application is vulnerable only when it uses untrusted XML input with either isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence) from org.assertj.core.api.AbstractCharSequenceAssert or xmlPrettyFormat(String) from org.assertj.core.util.xml.XmlStringPrettyFormatter. If untrusted XML input is processed by tone of these methods, an attacker couldnread arbitrary local files via file:// URIs (e.g., /etc/passwd, application configuration files); perform Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) via HTTP/HTTPS URIs, and/or cause Denial of Service via Billion Laughs entity expansion attacks. isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence) has been deprecated in favor of XMLUnit in version 3.18.0 and will be removed in version 4.0. Users of affected versions should, in order of preference: replace isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence) with XMLUnit, upgrade to version 3.27.7, or avoid using isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence) or XmlStringPrettyFormatter with untrusted input. XmlStringPrettyFormatter has historically been considered a utility for isXmlEqualTo(CharSequence) rather than a feature for AssertJ users, so it is deprecated in version 3.27.7 and removed in version 4.0, with no replacement.
Weakness
The product processes an XML document that can contain XML entities with URIs that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output.
Potential Mitigations
Related Attack Patterns
References
- https://cheatsheetseries.owasp.org/cheatsheets/XML_External_Entity_Prevention_Cheat_Sheet.html
- https://github.com/assertj/assertj/commit/85ca7eb6609bb179c043b85ae7d290523b1ba79a
- https://github.com/assertj/assertj/releases/tag/assertj-build-3.27.7
- https://github.com/assertj/assertj/security/advisories/GHSA-rqfh-9r24-8c9r