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Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference

CVE-2016-9318

Medium
5.5/10

Summary

libxml2 before 2.9.8-rc1, as used in XMLSec 1.2.23 and earlier and other products, does not offer a flag directly indicating that the current document may be read but other files may not be opened, which makes it easier for remote attackers to conduct XML External Entity (XXE) attacks via a crafted document.

  • LOW
  • LOCAL
  • NONE
  • UNCHANGED
  • REQUIRED
  • NONE
  • HIGH
  • NONE

CWE-611 - Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference

Listed 4th in the 'OWASP Top Ten', XML External Entities (XXE) vulnerability allows attackers to provide an XML input that contains an external entity. When the XML is parsed, it can cause data extraction and manipulation, execution of commands, denial-of-service attacks, and server-side request forgery.

References

Advisory Timeline

  • Published