=== What is the potential impact?

==== Exposing sensitive data

One significant danger of XXE vulnerabilities is the potential for sensitive
data exposure. By crafting malicious XML payloads, attackers can reference
external entities that contain sensitive information, such as system files,
database credentials, or configuration files. When these entities are processed
during XML parsing, the attacker can extract the contents and gain unauthorized
access to sensitive data. This poses a severe threat to the confidentiality of
critical information.

==== Exhausting system resources

Another consequence of XXE vulnerabilities is the potential for
denial-of-service attacks. By exploiting the ability to include external
entities, attackers can construct XML payloads that cause resource exhaustion.
This can overwhelm the system's memory, CPU, or other critical resources,
leading to system unresponsiveness or crashes. A successful DoS attack can
disrupt the availability of services and negatively impact the user experience.

==== Forging requests

XXE vulnerabilities can also enable Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) attacks.
By leveraging the ability to include external entities, an attacker can make the
vulnerable application send arbitrary requests to other internal or external
systems. This can result in unintended actions, such as retrieving data from
internal resources, scanning internal networks, or attacking other systems.
SSRF attacks can lead to severe consequences, including unauthorized data
access, system compromise, or even further exploitation within the network
infrastructure.