libxml2 up to 2.9.4 NEXTL Macro parser.c xmlParserHandlePEReference Parameter memory corruption

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, has been found in libxml2 up to 2.9.4. Affected by this issue is the function xmlParserHandlePEReference of the file parser.c of the component NEXTL Macro. This manipulation as part of Parameter causes memory corruption. This vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2017-16931. The attack is possible to be carried out remotely. No exploit exists. It is advisable to upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability has been found in libxml2 up to 2.9.4 (Document Processing Software) and classified as very critical. Affected by this vulnerability is the function xmlParserHandlePEReference of the file parser.c of the component NEXTL Macro. The manipulation as part of a Parameter leads to a memory corruption vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-119. The product performs operations on a memory buffer, but it can read from or write to a memory location that is outside of the intended boundary of the buffer. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

parser.c in libxml2 before 2.9.5 mishandles parameter-entity references because the NEXTL macro calls the xmlParserHandlePEReference function in the case of a '%' character in a DTD name.

The bug was discovered 11/23/2017. The weakness was disclosed 11/23/2017 (Website). The advisory is shared at xmlsoft.org. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2017-16931 since 11/23/2017. The exploitation appears to be easy. The attack can be launched remotely. The exploitation doesn't need any form of authentication. Technical details are known, but no exploit is available. The price for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 01/16/2023).

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 104936 (Debian DLA-1194-1 : libxml2 security update), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment. It is assigned to the family Debian Local Security Checks and running in the context l.

Upgrading to version 2.9.5 eliminates this vulnerability. A possible mitigation has been published 1 weeks after the disclosure of the vulnerability.

The vulnerability is also documented in the vulnerability database at Tenable (104936). The entries VDB-21466, VDB-79335, VDB-79336 and VDB-79337 are pretty similar. If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.

Productinfo

Type

• Document Processing Software

Name

• libxml2

Version

• 2.9.0
• 2.9.1
• 2.9.2
• 2.9.3
• 2.9.4

License

• open-source

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CPE 2.2info

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If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.

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