CVE-2025-10990 — Rexml: rexml: denial of service via inefficient regex parsing
A flaw was found in REXML. A remote attacker could exploit inefficient regular expression (regex) parsing when processing hex numeric character references (&#x...;) in XML documents. This could lead to a Regular Expression Denial of Service (ReDoS), impacting the availability of the affected component. This issue is the result of an incomplete fix for CVE-2024-49761.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- EPSS 0.5% (30-day exploitation probability)+6
- 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.
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.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
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.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Red Hat Red Hat Satellite 6.16 for RHEL 8, Red Hat Red Hat Satellite 6.16 for RHEL 9, Red Hat Red Hat Satellite 6.17 for RHEL 9…).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (denial of service), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat | Red Hat Satellite 6.16 for RHEL 8 | versions not specified by the source | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Satellite 6.16 for RHEL 9 | versions not specified by the source | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Satellite 6.17 for RHEL 9 | versions not specified by the source | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| Red Hat | Satellite Client 6 for RHEL 8 | versions not specified by the source | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| Red Hat | Satellite Client 6 for RHEL 9 | versions not specified by the source | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 3.9 | 3.6 | secalert@redhat.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | redhat via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H (score shown at the top: secalert@redhat.com) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
CWE-1333 · Inefficient Regular Expression Complexity (ReDoS)
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.49%
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).
- Track CPU/memory spikes and availability drops correlated with request patterns.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · red hat/red hat satellite 6.16 for rhel 8, red hat/red hat satellite 6.16 for rhel 9, red hat/red hat satellite 6.17 for
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 7.5
- Source status changed · → Deferred
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
8 on the record
- www.ruby-lang.org/en/news/2024/10/28/redos-rexml-cve-2024-49761/
- access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-10990
- github.com/ruby/rexml/commit/ce59f2eb1aeb371fe1643414f06618dbe031979f
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:17613
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:17606
- github.com/ruby/rexml/security/advisories/GHSA-2rxp-v6pw-ch6m
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:17693
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Medium CVE-2026-56098 Rubygem-katello: improper authorization logic allows resource enumeration 14d
- Medium CVE-2026-56097 Rubygem-katello: sql injection in registry proxy via labels 14d
- Medium CVE-2026-12545 Rubygem-hammer_cli: command injection via insecure editor invocation 14d
- Medium CVE-2026-12542 Foreman: command injection in foreman-tail 14d
- Critical CVE-2026-96659 Foreman: excessive permissions for viewer role on preview 14d
- Critical CVE-2026-96658 Foreman: safemode bypass leading to rce 14d
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 fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- 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-2025-10990 is "Rexml: rexml: denial of service via inefficient regex parsing", rated High. It affects Red Hat Satellite 6.16 for RHEL 8 (Red Hat); 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 0.49% 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.
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