XML External Entity injection in libxml2 (Alpine package)

Published: 2017-04-13

Risk	Low
Patch available	YES
Number of vulnerabilities	1
CVE-ID	CVE-2016-9318
CWE-ID	CWE-611
Exploitation vector	Local
Public exploit	N/A
Vulnerable software Subscribe	libxml2 (Alpine package) Operating systems & Components / Operating system package or component
Vendor	Alpine Linux Development Team

Security Bulletin

This security bulletin contains one low risk vulnerability.

1) XML External Entity injection

EUVDB-ID: #VU31830

Risk: Low

CVSSv3.1: 6.8 [CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2016-9318

CWE-ID: CWE-611 - Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference ('XXE')

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a local non-authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code.

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.

Mitigation

Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

libxml2 (Alpine package): 2.9.4-r1

CPE2.3

cpe:2.3:o:alpine:libxml2_alpine_package:2.9.4-r1:*:*:*:*:alpine_linux:*:

External links

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.