CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2016-9318

Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference

Published: Nov 16, 2016 | Modified: Dec 04, 2025
CVSS 3.x
5.5
MEDIUM
Source:
NVD
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
CVSS 2.x
4.3 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
RedHat/V2
5.8 MODERATE
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:P
RedHat/V3
6.7 MODERATE
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:L
Ubuntu
LOW

libxml2 2.9.4 and earlier, 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.

Weakness

The product processes an XML document that can contain XML entities with URIs that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output.

Affected Software

Name Vendor Start Version End Version
Libxml2 Xmlsoft * 2.9.4 (including)
Text-Only JBCS RedHat *
Libxml2 Ubuntu artful *
Libxml2 Ubuntu bionic *
Libxml2 Ubuntu devel *
Libxml2 Ubuntu esm-infra-legacy/trusty *
Libxml2 Ubuntu esm-infra/bionic *
Libxml2 Ubuntu esm-infra/xenial *
Libxml2 Ubuntu precise *
Libxml2 Ubuntu trusty *
Libxml2 Ubuntu trusty/esm *
Libxml2 Ubuntu upstream *
Libxml2 Ubuntu vivid/stable-phone-overlay *
Libxml2 Ubuntu xenial *
Libxml2 Ubuntu yakkety *
Libxml2 Ubuntu zesty *

Potential Mitigations

References