CWE-827: Improper Control of Document Type Definition
The product does not restrict a reference to a Document Type Definition (DTD) to the intended control sphere. This might allow attackers to reference arbitrary DTDs, possibly causing the product to expose files, consume excessive system resources, or execute arbitrary http requests on behalf of the attacker.
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Overview
As DTDs are processed, they might try to read or include files on the machine performing the parsing. If an attacker is able to control the DTD, then the attacker might be able to specify sensitive resources or requests or provide malicious content. For example, the SOAP specification prohibits SOAP messages from containing DTDs.
Real-world CVEs
1 recorded CVEs are caused by CWE-827 (Improper Control of Document Type Definition). The highest-severity and most recent are shown first. 0 new CWE-827 CVEs have been recorded so far in 2026 (1 in 2025).
Common consequences
What can happen when CWE-827 is exploited.
Read Files or Directories
Affects: Confidentiality
If the attacker is able to include a crafted DTD and a default entity resolver is enabled, the attacker may be able to access arbitrary files on the system.
DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU), DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory)
Affects: Availability
The DTD may cause the parser to consume excessive CPU cycles or memory using techniques such as nested or recursive entity references (CWE-776).
Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands, Gain Privileges or Assume Identity