November 13, 2026

CVE Watchtower

CVE-2016-5000Apache Poi XML External Entity (XXE) Reference

NVDCVSS scored by NVD (NIST)

Vulnerability Summary

The XLSX2CSV example in Apache POI before 3.14 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a crafted OpenXML document containing an external entity declaration in conjunction with an entity reference, related to an XML External Entity (XXE) issue.
Severity Level
MEDIUM(5.5)
Published Date
Aug 5, 2016
Last Modified
May 6, 2026
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation yet
EPSS Score (30-Day)
0.33%Probability
Root Weakness (CWE)
CWE-611: XML External Entity (XXE) Reference ↗
The product processes an XML document that can contain XML entities with URIs that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control.
CVSS v3.0 Base Metrics — Score 5.5 (MEDIUM)
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionRequired
ScopeUnchanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityNone

Affected & Patched Versions

Affected Versions
  • Apache Poi <= 3.13
Patched Versions
No patched version published yet
Until a fix ships, reduce exposure:
  • Restrict access to the affected service or interface to trusted networks.
  • Disable the affected feature if you do not need it.
  • Watch the vendor advisory for a firmware or software update.

What to do

Fix it during your normal patch cycle. No exploitation is confirmed yet.

  1. Check whether you run Apache Poi and which version.
  2. No patched version is listed yet. Limit access to the affected service to trusted networks, and disable the feature if you can.
  3. Subscribe to the vendor advisory so you learn when a fix ships.

Timeline

  • Aug 5, 2016Published
  • May 6, 2026Record last modified

Score, severity and exploitation changes are tracked from the day Watchtower started logging them.

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External References

Data last checked: Nov 13, 2026 21:28 UTC