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CVE-2003-1564

6.5 · MEDIUM

libxml2, possibly before 2.5.0, does not properly detect recursion during entity expansion, which allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (memory and CPU consumption) via a…

Published Dec 31, 2003xmlsoftCWE-776EPSS 1.62%

Overview

CVE-2003-1564 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting xmlsoft libxml2. It was published on December 31, 2003 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5 (MEDIUM).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5, rated MEDIUM. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

Technical description

libxml2, possibly before 2.5.0, does not properly detect recursion during entity expansion, which allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (memory and CPU consumption) via a crafted XML document containing a large number of nested entity references, aka the "billion laughs attack."

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from xmlsoft. Update libxml2 to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Affected products

VendorProductVersionsStatus
xmlsoftlibxml2>= 0, < 2.5.0Affected

References

Refmail.gnome.org/archives/xml/2008-August/msg00034.htmlRefsecunia.com/advisories/31868Refwww.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/65843/time_to_upgrade_libxml2Refwww.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-0886.htmlRefwww.stylusstudio.com/xmldev/200302/post20020.htmlRefxmlsoft.org/news.htmlRefmail.gnome.org/archives/xml/2008-August/msg00034.htmlRefsecunia.com/advisories/31868Refwww.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/65843/time_to_upgrade_libxml2Refwww.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-0886.html

How CyberStrike helps

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2003-1564?

CVE-2003-1564 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting xmlsoft libxml2. It was published on December 31, 2003 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2003-1564?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5, rated MEDIUM. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2003-1564?

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from xmlsoft. Update libxml2 to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2003-1564?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2003-1564 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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