Summary
SilverStripe XXE Vulnerability in CSSContentParser
SilverStripe through 4.6.0-rc1 has an XXE Vulnerability in CSSContentParser. A developer utility meant for parsing HTML within unit tests can be vulnerable to XML External Entity (XXE) attacks. When this developer utility is misused for purposes involving external or user submitted data in custom project code, it can lead to vulnerabilities such as XSS on HTML output rendered through this custom code. This is now mitigated by disabling external entities during parsing. (The correct CVE ID year is 2020 [CVE-2020-25817, not CVE-2021-25817]).
Impact
An XML parser processes external entity references in untrusted input, causing the server to fetch internal resources or remote URLs. Typical impact: local file disclosure, server-side request forgery, or denial of service.
CVE-2020-25817 has a CVSS score of 4.8 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, high privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (4.7.4); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2020-25817? CVE-2020-25817 is a medium-severity XML external entity injection (XXE) vulnerability in silverstripe/framework (composer), affecting versions >= 4.0.0, < 4.7.4. It is fixed in 4.7.4. An XML parser processes external entity references in untrusted input, causing the server to fetch internal resources or remote URLs.
- How severe is CVE-2020-25817? CVE-2020-25817 has a CVSS score of 4.8 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of silverstripe/framework are affected by CVE-2020-25817? silverstripe/framework (composer) versions >= 4.0.0, < 4.7.4 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2020-25817? Yes. CVE-2020-25817 is fixed in 4.7.4. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2020-25817 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-25817 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2020-25817 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2020-25817? Upgrade
silverstripe/frameworkto 4.7.4 or later.