DSA-5142: -1 libxml2 -- security update
Felix Wilhelm reported that several buffer handling functions in libxml2, a library providing support to read, modify and write XML and HTML files, don't check for integer overflows, resulting in out-of-bounds memory writes if specially crafted, multi-gigabyte XML files are processed. An attacker can take advantage of this flaw for denial of service or execution of arbitrary code.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Patch DSA-5142-1
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What must an attacker control to exploit this issue?
The attacker needs to cause libxml2 to process a specially crafted, multi-gigabyte XML file. The vulnerable buffer-handling functions can then overflow integer calculations and write out of bounds.
What impact can successful exploitation have?
Successful exploitation may cause a denial of service or allow execution of arbitrary code.
Which deployments are most exposed?
Deployments that use libxml2 to process XML files supplied or influenced by untrusted parties are exposed when those inputs can be multi-gigabyte crafted XML files.