MPXJ: XXE Vulnerability in MerlinReader
Impact
MPXJ used the default configuration when creating a DocumentBuilder instance, which leaves doctype declarations enabled, when parsing the XML content of the ZTIMEINTERVALS column from a Merlin project SQLite file. This would allow a carefully crafted XML payload to read an arbitrary file. However, although an arbitrary file can be read, the way the resulting parsed XML is processed by MPXJ means that the data it contains is unlikely to be available for exfiltration.
Patches
The patch is included in MPXJ 16.4.1
Workarounds
Potential workarounds include:
- Avoid reading Merlin project files with MPXJ
- Only accept Merlin project files from trusted sources
- Preprocess Merlin SQLite databases to strip doctype declarations from the ZTIMEINTERVALS column
Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | net.sf.mpxj:mpxj | >= 5.5.5, < 16.4.1 | 16.4.1 |
| .NET (NuGet) | MPXJ.Net | >= 5.5.5, < 16.4.1 | 16.4.1 |
| .NET (NuGet) | net.sf.mpxj | >= 5.5.5, < 16.4.1 | 16.4.1 |
| .NET (NuGet) | net.sf.mpxj-for-csharp | >= 5.5.5, < 16.4.1 | 16.4.1 |
| .NET (NuGet) | net.sf.mpxj-for-vb | >= 5.5.5, < 16.4.1 | 16.4.1 |
| Python (PyPI) | mpxj | >= 5.5.5, < 16.4.1 | 16.4.1 |
References
- https://github.com/joniles/mpxj/security/advisories/GHSA-5vvx-3h34-f3gj
- https://github.com/joniles/mpxj/commit/6e8288bc4d1cd62842af298004dc74fe66fb0805
- https://github.com/joniles/mpxj
- https://github.com/joniles/mpxj/releases/tag/v16.4.1
- https://pypi.org/project/mpxj
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-5vvx-3h34-f3gj
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-61570
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-611- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven), .NET (NuGet), Python (PyPI)
- Package
net.sf.mpxj:mpxj, MPXJ.Net, net.sf.mpxj- Disclosed
- 22.09.2026
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 15:18
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-5vvx-3h34-f3gj - CC BY 4.0
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2026-4107 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: net.sf.mpxj-for-vb
All published vulnerabilities of this package (.NET (NuGet)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 4
- First → latest
- 11.2022 09.2026
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- High 1
- Medium 2
- Low 1
Disclosures per year
- 2022: 1
- 2023: 0
- 2024: 1
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 2
-
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