CVE-2026-118468 in Infantia
Summary
by MITRE • 11/09/2026
XML parsers process attacker-influenced update manifests or network responses with external entity resolution enabled, potentially allowing XML External Entity (XXE) attacks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/09/2026
The vulnerability described involves a critical misconfiguration in the handling of Extensible Markup Language data by software components responsible for processing update manifests and network responses. At its core, this flaw is classified under CWE-611, which refers to Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference. This category of vulnerabilities arises when an application parses untrusted XML input but fails to disable the resolution of external entities or parameter references within that input. In a standard XML processing environment, parsers are often configured by default to allow the definition and expansion of entities, including those located in remote locations via Uniform Resource Locators such as HTTP or FTP protocols. When this capability is left enabled for inputs derived from untrusted sources like network responses or third-party update manifests, it creates an attack vector that can be exploited by malicious actors to perform XML External Entity attacks.
The technical mechanism of exploitation relies on the ability of an attacker to inject specially crafted XML content into the vulnerable parser. By defining a new entity that references a local file system path or an internal network resource, and then referencing this entity within the document structure, the attacker forces the parser to resolve it during parsing. If the underlying operating system permissions allow the application process access to sensitive files, such as /etc/passwd on Unix-like systems or configuration files in Windows environments, the contents of these files may be returned in the error messages or response body generated by the parser. This constitutes an Out-of-Band Data Exfiltration scenario where internal data is leaked back to the attacker through the application's normal communication channels. Furthermore, if the server-side environment supports Server-Side Request Forgery patterns, this vulnerability can also facilitate SSRF attacks, allowing the attacker to probe and interact with internal services that are not directly accessible from the external network, such as cloud metadata endpoints or internal database interfaces.
From an operational perspective, the impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted. The most immediate consequence is unauthorized data disclosure, which can lead to the exposure of sensitive credentials, proprietary code, customer personal information, or other confidential business logic stored in accessible files on the server hosting the vulnerable application. Beyond simple data theft, XXE vulnerabilities can be leveraged for Denial of Service attacks through techniques like the Billion Laughs attack, where recursive entity expansions consume excessive memory and CPU resources, effectively crashing the service. In more complex scenarios involving out-of-band interactions, attackers may use the vulnerability to conduct network reconnaissance or pivot into deeper layers of an organization's infrastructure by triggering requests from the vulnerable server itself. This transforms a simple input validation failure into a significant breach of confidentiality, integrity, and availability principles as defined in standard security frameworks.
To mitigate this risk, developers must enforce strict XML parsing configurations that explicitly disable external entity resolution. Most modern programming languages provide specific parser settings or flags to achieve this; for instance, disabling DTD processing entirely is often the most robust defense since many XXE attacks rely on Document Type Definitions to define entities. If DTDs are required for legitimate business logic, developers should ensure that only internal entities are allowed and that network access protocols like HTTP and FTP are blocked within the parser configuration. Additionally, implementing input validation strategies such as allowing a whitelist of expected characters or structures in XML documents can provide an additional layer of defense against malformed inputs. It is also advisable to run applications with minimal privileges so that even if file read operations succeed due to XXE, the attacker cannot access highly sensitive system files. Regular security testing and code reviews focusing on data processing components are essential to identify and remediate such configuration weaknesses before they can be exploited in production environments. This approach aligns with MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to Collection via Local File Inclusion and Exfiltration Over Alternative Protocol, ensuring that defenses are mapped against known adversary behaviors.