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Medium

XML Notepad: XML External Entity (XXE) Injection via Unsafe XmlTextReader in XML Diff and Schema Loading

Type: advisorySources: OSV

XML Notepad is a Windows program that provides a simple intuitive User Interface for browsing and editing XML documents. Prior to version 2.9.0.21, XML Notepad does not disable DTD processing by default which means external entities are resolved automatically. There is a well known attack related to malicious DTD files where an attacker to craft a malicious XML file that loads a DTD that causes XML Notepad to make outbound HTTP/SMB requests, potentially leaking local file contents or capturing the victim's NTLM credentials. This issue has been patched in version 2.9.0.21.

Products
Not specified
Affected versions
Not specified
Fixed versions
Not specified
CVEs
CVE-2026-34401
Confirmed fixed CVEs
Not specified
Updated in this feed
5 Nov 2026, 02:05 UTC · Revision 1

Source evidence

XML Notepad: XML External Entity (XXE) Injection via Unsafe XmlTextReader in XML Diff and Schema Loading

core-osv · Original source

Published 31 Mar 2026, 21:05 UTC

XML Notepad is a Windows program that provides a simple intuitive User Interface for browsing and editing XML documents. Prior to version 2.9.0.21, XML Notepad does not disable DTD processing by default which means external entities are resolved automatically. There is a well known attack related to malicious DTD files where an attacker to craft a malicious XML file that loads a DTD that causes XML Notepad to make outbound HTTP/SMB requests, potentially leaking local file contents or capturing the victim's NTLM credentials. This issue has been patched in version 2.9.0.21.

osv:CVE-2026-34401
Complete source record
{
  "id": "8ba151edadf05adcfe89d06b2c96a5947f0e746d2e62ec14466c6836982e90b8",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-34401",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "XML Notepad: XML External Entity (XXE) Injection via Unsafe XmlTextReader in XML Diff and Schema Loading",
    "summary": "XML Notepad is a Windows program that provides a simple intuitive User Interface for browsing and editing XML documents. Prior to version 2.9.0.21, XML Notepad does not disable DTD processing by default which means external entities are resolved automatically. There is a well known attack related to malicious DTD files where an attacker to craft a malicious XML file that loads a DTD that causes XML Notepad to make outbound HTTP/SMB requests, potentially leaking local file contents or capturing the victim's NTLM credentials. This issue has been patched in version 2.9.0.21.",
    "evidence": "osv:CVE-2026-34401",
    "products": [],
    "severity": "medium",
    "structured": {
      "id": "CVE-2026-34401",
      "aliases": [
        "CVE-2026-34401",
        "GHSA-5j32-486h-42ch"
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "type": "CVSS_V3",
          "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
        }
      ],
      "affected": [
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "repo": "https://github.com/microsoft/xmlnotepad",
              "type": "GIT",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "faa93f8aea6c851f94981b16df50a9101dde7590"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "3665603d61ba10b7827a3724e854748cb780140c"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "c03ab2311ac6960452eb1ab49098768f851dcc53"
                }
              ],
              "database_specific": {
                "extracted_events": [
                  {
                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:xml_notepad:*:*:*:*:*:windows:*:*",
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "introduced": "0"
                      },
                      {
                        "fixed": "2.9.0.21"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_RANGE"
                  },
                  {
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "fixed": "3665603d61ba10b7827a3724e854748cb780140c"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "REFERENCES_COMMIT"
                  },
                  {
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "fixed": "c03ab2311ac6960452eb1ab49098768f851dcc53"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "REFERENCES_COMMIT"
                  },
                  {
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "fixed": "faa93f8aea6c851f94981b16df50a9101dde7590"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "REFERENCES_TAG",
                    "original_tag": "2.9.0.21"
                  }
                ]
              }
            }
          ],
          "versions": [
            "2.9.0.20",
            "2.9.0.19",
            "2.9.0.18",
            "2.9.0.17",
            "2.9.0.16",
            "2.9.0.15",
            "2.9.0.14",
            "2.9.0.13",
            "2.9.0.12",
            "2.9.0.11",
            "2.9.0.10",
            "2.9.0.9",
            "2.9.0.8",
            "2.9.0.7",
            "2.9.0.6",
            "2.9.0.5",
            "2.9.0.4",
            "2.9.0.3",
            "2.9.0.2",
            "2.9.0.1",
            "2.9.0.0",
            "2.8.0.65",
            "2.8.0.64",
            "2.8.0.63",
            "2.8.0.62",
            "2.8.0.61",
            "2.8.0.60",
            "2.8.0.59",
            "2.8.0.58",
            "2.8.0.56",
            "2.8.0.55",
            "2.8.0.54",
            "2.8.0.53",
            "2.8.0.52",
            "v2.8.0.51",
            "2.8.0.51",
            "v2.8.0.50",
            "2.8.0.50",
            "2.8.0.49",
            "2.8.0.48",
            "2.8.0.47",
            "2.8.0.46",
            "2.8.0.45",
            "2.8.0.44",
            "2.8.0.42",
            "2.8.0.41",
            "2.8.0.39",
            "2.8.0.35",
            "2.8.0.30",
            "2.8.0.29",
            "v2.8.0.27",
            "2.8.0.27",
            "2.8.0.25",
            "v2.7"
          ],
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2026-34401.json"
          }
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-28T02:30:41.993309028Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
        "https://github.com/microsoft/XmlNotepad/releases/tag/2.9.0.21",
        "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/34xxx/CVE-2026-34401.json",
        "https://github.com/microsoft/XmlNotepad/security/advisories/GHSA-5j32-486h-42ch",
        "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-34401",
        "https://github.com/microsoft/XmlNotepad/commit/3665603d61ba10b7827a3724e854748cb780140c",
        "https://github.com/microsoft/XmlNotepad/commit/c03ab2311ac6960452eb1ab49098768f851dcc53"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {
        "cwe_ids": [
          "CWE-611"
        ],
        "cna_assigner": "GitHub_M",
        "osv_generated_from": "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/34xxx/CVE-2026-34401.json"
      }
    },
    "related_cves": [
      {
        "value": "CVE-2026-34401",
        "evidence": "/id"
      }
    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 509343,
  "published_at": "2026-03-31T21:05:50.647+00:00"
}