Apache Karaf provides a features deployer, which allows users to "hot deploy" a features XML by dropping the file directly in the deploy folder. The features XML is parsed by XMLInputFactory class. Apache Karaf XMLInputFactory class doesn't contain any mitigation codes against XXE. This is a potential security risk as an user can inject external XML entities in Apache Karaf version prior to 4.1.7 or 4.2.2. It has been fixed in Apache Karaf 4.1.7 and 4.2.2 releases.
CVE-2018-11788
This critical-severity CVE scores 9.8 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 7.5%, top 6% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 9.8
- EG Score
- 9.8(medium)
- EG Risk
- —
- EPSS
- 93.8%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
January 7, 2019
Last Modified
November 21, 2024
Advisory Details (2)
Auto-updated May 28, 2026Affected Packages
(1 across 1 ecosystem)
Maven(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| org.apache.karaf.specs:org.apache.karaf.specs.java.xml | — | 4.1.7 | — |
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 11× in last 7d / 41× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-07-22 22:12 UTCEG score recompute
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- 2026-07-04 06:28 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-27 23:43 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
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Publicly available exploits
(1 reference)Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 GitHub PoC). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- GitHub PoCbrianwrf/CVE-2018-11788First seen Jan 6, 2019
Apache Karaf XXE Vulnerability (CVE-2018-11788)
Open source ↗
Related CVEs(same CWE)
Same CWE
10 shownCWE-611
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2018-11788?
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What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-11788?
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Dependency Blast Radius
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