#VU89736 Uncontrolled Recursion in Libxml2 - CVE-2016-3627

Vulnerability identifier: #VU89736

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 6.6 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2016-3627

CWE-ID: CWE-674

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Libxml2
Universal components / Libraries / Libraries used by multiple products

Vendor: Gnome Development Team

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

The vulnerability occurs when xmlStringGetNodeList function in tree.c in libxml2 used in recovery mode. A remote attacker can cause a denial of service (infinite recursion, stack consumption, and application crash) via a crafted XML document.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Libxml2: before 2.9.4

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External links
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/03/21/3
https://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-05/msg00055.html
https://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2016/May/10
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/03/21/2
https://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3593
https://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2994-1
https://h20566.www2.hpe.com/portal/site/hpsc/public/kb/docDisplay?docId=emr_na-c05157239
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:1292
https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/ovmbulletinjul2016-3090546.html
https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/bulletinjul2016-3090568.html
https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/linuxbulletinjul2016-3090544.html
https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/84992
https://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-05/msg00127.html
https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=SB10170
https://www.tenable.com/security/tns-2016-18
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-37
https://www.securitytracker.com/id/1035335
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2957.html

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

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