CVE-2026-55471
| Severity | 8.7 High CVSS 4.0 2 scores |
|---|---|
| Fixed in | 6.9.10 |
| Weakness | XML external entity (XXE) (CWE-611) |
| Published | 8 Jul 2026 |
| Updated | 25 Oct 2026 |
Description
HAPI FHIR is a complete implementation of the HL7 FHIR standard for healthcare interoperability in Java. Prior to 6.9.10, org.hl7.fhir.utilities.XsltUtilities saxonTransform(...) overloads instantiated a bare net.sf.saxon.TransformerFactoryImpl() without ACCESS_EXTERNAL_DTD or ACCESS_EXTERNAL_STYLESHEET restrictions, allowing an attacker who controls or can tamper with transformed XML to trigger XML External Entity injection for local file disclosure and blind XXE or SSRF to arbitrary URLs reachable from the host. This issue is fixed in version 6.9.10.
Exploitation status
Proof of concept only
A proof of concept exists, but no reviewed exploit catalogue lists this CVE.
Exploitation status
- CISA KEV not listed
- VulnCheck KEV not listed
- CISA Vulnrichment exploitation: poc CISA recorded that an exploit has been demonstrated. Automatable: yes, technical impact: partial.
- Indexed PoC none indexed
- EPSS 0.57% chance in 30 days
Waratek protection
Waratek has a rule that blocks attacks on this vulnerability.
- Protection full XXE
- Action available security rule
- Review automated Inferred
- Record active
| Decided by | A vulnerability class already blocked by an ARMR security rule |
|---|---|
| Finding | Protected by Waratek's ARMR xxe security rule, which blocks this class of attack at the JVM level without a rule written for this CVE specifically. The CVE's weakness is CWE-611: XML External Entity Reference. |
| Candidate fix | https://github.com/hapifhir/org.hl7.fhir.core/commit/01ca2ecdefec9b33204d2495fe78af8c0dc52298 : a commit: the change itself |
How to mitigate CVE-2026-55471
Upgrade the affected software to 6.9.10 or later. Until you can, Waratek RASP blocks exploitation with its XXE rule. It runs inside the Java application, with no code changes.
CVSS
8.7 HIGH
v4.0 CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
2 metrics
CVSS
8.7 HIGH v4.0CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
2 metrics
We show the highest score from the newest CVSS version. Scores from different versions can't be compared, and the first score listed is sometimes a 0.0 placeholder.
| Version | Score | Band | Vector | Assigner | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 4.0 | 8.7 | HIGH | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X |
security-advisories@github.com | Secondary | published |
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.1 | CRITICAL | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N |
NVD | Primary |
Affected software and releases
Maven packages
Affected and fixed versions, from OSV.dev| Package | Introduced | Fixed | Last affected |
|---|---|---|---|
ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:org.hl7.fhir.utilities |
0 | 6.9.10 |
unbounded |
Products and versions
2 products, 2 version entries| Source | Vendor | Product | Scheme | Affected versions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| osv | ca.uhn.hapi.fhir | org.hl7.fhir.utilities | generic | < 6.9.10 |
| nvd | hapifhir | hl7 fhir core | generic | < 6.9.10 |
References
Timeline
Timeline
| Published | 2026-07-08 | By the CVE Program. |
|---|---|---|
| NVD record modified | 2026-10-25 | NVD's own last-modified date for this record. |