Note: This is an archival copy of Security Sun Alert 201514 as previously published on http://sunsolve.sun.com.
Latest version of this security advisory is available from http://support.oracle.com as Sun Alert 1001131.1.
Article ID : 1001131.1
Article Type : Sun Alerts (SURE)
Last reviewed : 2008-02-10
Audience : PUBLIC
Copyright Notice: Copyright © 2010, Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates.

Security Vulnerability in the libxml2 Library May Lead to a Denial of Service (DoS)



Category
Security

Release Phase
Resolved

Product
Solaris 9 Operating System
Solaris 10 Operating System

Bug Id
6642649

Date of Workaround Release
14-JAN-2008

Date of Resolved Release
11-Feb-2008

a security vulnerability in the libxml2 library (see libxml2(3)) bundled with Solaris 9 and Solaris 10 (see below for full details)

1. Impact

There is a security vulnerability in the libxml2 library (see libxml2(3)) bundled with Solaris 9 and Solaris 10 which may impact applications making use of this library. The precise impact will vary depending on the application, but this vulnerability may allow a local or remote unprivileged user who provides a specially crafted XML file to cause a denial of service (DoS) to the application which is using the libxml2 library (or potentially to the system as a whole as the application may consume excessive resources).

Additional information regarding this issue is available at:


2. Contributing Factors

These issues can occur in the following releases:

SPARC Platform

  • Solaris 9 without patch 114014-18
  • Solaris 10 without patch 125731-02

x86 Platform

  • Solaris 9 without patch 114015-18
  • Solaris 10 without patch 125732-02

Note: Solaris 8 does not include support for libxml2 and is not impacted by this issue.


3. Symptoms

If the described issue is exploited, the application which makes use of the libxml2 library to process the crafted XML file may be unresponsive, possibly consuming all available CPU resources while looping continuously. Commands such as prstat(1M) can be used to determine the utilization of system resources, for example:

    $ prstat -s cpu
    [...]

4. Workaround
Please see Resolution below.


5. Resolution
This issue is addressed in the following releases:

SPARC Platform

  • Solaris 9 with patch 114014-18 or later
  • Solaris 10 with patch 125731-02 or later

x86 Platform

  • Solaris 9 with patch 114015-18 or later
  • Solaris 10 with patch 125732-02 or later
This Sun Alert notification is being provided to you on an "AS IS" basis. This Sun Alert notification may contain information provided by third parties. The issues described in this Sun Alert notification may or may not impact your system(s). Sun makes no representations, warranties, or guarantees as to the information contained herein. ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT, ARE HEREBY DISCLAIMED. BY ACCESSING THIS DOCUMENT YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT SUN SHALL IN NO EVENT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES THAT ARISE OUT OF YOUR USE OR FAILURE TO USE THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. This Sun Alert notification contains Sun proprietary and confidential information. It is being provided to you pursuant to the provisions of your agreement to purchase services from Sun, or, if you do not have such an agreement, the Sun.com Terms of Use. This Sun Alert notification may only be used for the purposes contemplated by these agreements.

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Modification History
11-Feb-2008: Updated Contributing Factors, Relief/Workaround and Resolution sections. Now Resolved.


References

114014-18
125731-02
114015-18
125732-02






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