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Medium

libxml2 XSL transform type cast handling vulnerability

IdentifiersCVE-2012-2871CWE-704

CVE-2012-2871 is a vulnerability in libxml2 2.9.0-rc1 and earlier, including usage in Google Chrome before 21.0.1180.89. According to the provided content, libxml2 does not properly support a cast of an unspecified variable during handling of XSL transforms. The issue is related to the _xmlNs data structure defined in include/libxml/tree.h. A remote attacker can trigger the flaw by supplying a crafted document that causes vulnerable XML/XSLT processing code to mishandle the cast operation.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

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Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service, likely by crashing the affected process during XSL transform handling. The provided content also notes the possibility of unknown additional impact, but does not supply specific evidence sufficient to characterize that impact more precisely.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

Until patches are applied, reduce exposure by avoiding processing untrusted XML/XSL content in vulnerable applications and restricting access to attacker-controlled documents or web content that can trigger XSL transforms. In the Android/browser context described in the content, updating to the latest available platform/browser version is the primary mitigation.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade libxml2 to a fixed version later than 2.9.0-rc1, and update affected downstream software such as Google Chrome to version 21.0.1180.89 or later. On affected Android devices and browsers, apply vendor security updates that address CVE-2012-2871.
PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

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VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

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VendorProductType
AppleIphone Osoperating_system
GoogleChromeapplication
XmlsoftLibxml2application

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Threat actor evidence2

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Associated malware2

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Detection signatures

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Social activity

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