w3c / w3c/json-ld-syntax

JSON-LD Context similarity to XML External Entity attack

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best practice
Dominant language
HTML
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Forks
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No merged PRs in 30d

Description

An XML External Entity attack is a type of attack against an application that parses XML input. This attack occurs when XML input containing a reference to an external entity is processed by a weakly configured XML parser. This attack may lead to the disclosure of confidential data, denial of service, server side request forgery, port scanning from the perspective of the machine where the parser is located, and other system impacts.

JSON-LD supports referencing a context stored online or on the local file system. This seems to allow for the same attack surface as with XML External Entity.

See: https://owasp.org/www-community/vulnerabilities/XML_External_Entity_(XXE)_Processing

Contributor guide

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First steps

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Research direction

No source file, test, or entry point is identified in the issue. Start with the JSON-LD context references described in the report and the linked OWASP XXE reference; determine whether local or online contexts create a comparable attack surface, then document the finding and any required specification guidance.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
json
Domain
security
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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