CVE Intelligence
High

CVE-2015-0254 — XXE in Apache Standard Taglibs

Apache Standard Taglibs before 1.2.3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or conduct external XML entity (XXE) attacks via a crafted XSLT extension in a (1) <x:parse> or (2) <x:transform> JSTL XML tag.

Published Mar 9, 2015 · Updated Oct 14, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP, GitHub Security Advisories · CNA: redhat

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 12.8% (30-day exploitation probability)+14
  • Technical severity (high)+6
  • Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
12.76%
ahead of 96% of scored CVEs · Oct 14, 2026
Affects
Apache Software Foundation
Standard Taglibs and 3 more
CVSS base
7.5
High · 1 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation
None
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
Yes
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Total
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

  • Maven Org.apache.taglibs:taglibs-standard: fixed in version 1.2.3 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)
  • Maven Org.apache.taglibs:taglibs-standard-impl: fixed in version 1.2.3 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Apache Software Foundation Standard Taglibs, Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Maven Org.apache.taglibs:taglibs-standard…).
  2. The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
  3. Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
  4. EPSS ahead of 96% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
  5. Search available logs for exploit probes, errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Apache Software Foundation Standard Taglibs ≤ 1.2.1 Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database
Canonical Ubuntu Linux version 14.04version 14.10 Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database
Maven Org.apache.taglibs:taglibs-standard < 1.2.3 Vulnerable GitHub Security Advisories
Maven Org.apache.taglibs:taglibs-standard-impl < 1.2.3 Vulnerable GitHub Security Advisories

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
7.5 CVSS 2.0 High 10.0 6.4 nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov)

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPS

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Fix documented
    Oct 14, 2026 · GitHub Security Advisories
  • Affected products added · maven/org.apache.taglibs:taglibs-standard, maven/org.apache.taglibs:taglibs-standard-impl
    Oct 14, 2026 · GitHub Security Advisories
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 14, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 14, 2026
  • Affected products added · apache/standard taglibs, canonical/ubuntu linux
    Oct 14, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVSS changed · 7.5
    Oct 14, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Modified
    Oct 14, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 14, 2026 · Alertas do Telegram
  • 2015
  • CVE published
    Mar 9, 2015 · redhat

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 2× References added · Oct 14, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026
  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 14, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026

References

32 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Apache Software Foundation
every CVE for this vendor

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-47336 Use of uninitialized value in Ubuntu Linux AppArmor IPv4/IPv6 socket mediation rules May 28, 2026
  • CVE-2026-47333 Out-of-bounds read in Ubuntu Linux AppArmor notification handling May 28, 2026
  • CVE-2026-47334 Deadlock or kernel panic in Ubuntu Linux AppArmor notification handling May 28, 2026
  • CVE-2026-47335 NULL pointer dereference in Ubuntu Linux AppArmor notification handling May 28, 2026
  • CVE-2026-47337 NULL pointer dereference in Ubuntu Linux AppArmor IPv4/IPv6 socket mediation May 28, 2026
  • CVE-2026-47329 Incorrect validation of field size in Ubuntu Linux AppArmor notification responses May 28, 2026

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No CWE classification.
  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2015-0254 is "XXE in Apache Standard Taglibs", rated High. It affects Standard Taglibs (Apache Software Foundation); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 7.5 describes technical severity. EPSS 12.76% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

Comments

Moderated technical discussion. Read the community guidelines.

No comments yet.

Sign in or create an account to comment and suggest corrections.