CVE-2025-6985
Oct. 6, 2025, 6:15 p.m.
7.5
High
Description
The HTMLSectionSplitter class in langchain-text-splitters version 0.3.8 is vulnerable to XML External Entity (XXE) attacks due to unsafe XSLT parsing. This vulnerability arises because the class allows the use of arbitrary XSLT stylesheets, which are parsed using lxml.etree.parse() and lxml.etree.XSLT() without any hardening measures. In lxml versions up to 4.9.x, external entities are resolved by default, allowing attackers to read arbitrary local files or perform outbound HTTP(S) fetches. In lxml versions 5.0 and above, while entity expansion is disabled, the XSLT document() function can still read any URI unless XSLTAccessControl is applied. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to gain read-only access to any file the LangChain process can reach, including sensitive files such as SSH keys, environment files, source code, or cloud metadata. No authentication, special privileges, or user interaction are required, and the issue is exploitable in default deployments that enable custom XSLT.
Product(s) Impacted
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Langchain |
|
|
| Lxml |
|
|
Weaknesses
Common security weaknesses mapped to this vulnerability.
CWE-611
Improper Restriction of XML External Entity 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, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output.
*CPE(s)
Affected systems and software identified for this CVE.
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version | Update | Edition | Language | Software Edition | Target Software | Target Hardware | Other Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | langchain | langchain-text-splitters | 0.3.8 | / | / | / | / | / | / | / |
| a | lxml | lxml | / | <4.9 | / | / | / | / | / | / |
Tags
CVSS Score
CVSS Data - 3.0
- Attack Vector: NETWORK
- Attack Complexity: LOW
- Privileges Required: NONE
- Scope: UNCHANGED
- Confidentiality Impact: HIGH
- Integrity Impact: NONE
- Availability Impact: NONE
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Timeline
Published: Oct. 6, 2025, 6:15 p.m.
Last Modified: Oct. 6, 2025, 6:15 p.m.
Last Modified: Oct. 6, 2025, 6:15 p.m.
Status : Received
CVE has been recently published to the CVE List and has been received by the NVD.
More infoSource
security@huntr.dev
*Disclaimer: Some vulnerabilities do not have an associated CPE. To enhance the data, we use AI to infer CPEs based on CVE details. This is an automated process and might not always be accurate.