Note: This is an archival copy of Security Sun Alert 247346 as previously published on http://sunsolve.sun.com.
Latest version of this security advisory is available from http://support.oracle.com as Sun Alert 1019840.1.
Article ID : 1019840.1
Article Type : Sun Alerts (SURE)
Last reviewed : 2009-01-14
Audience : PUBLIC
Copyright Notice: Copyright © 2010, Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates.

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



Category
Security

Release Phase
Resolved

Bug Id
6755235

Product
Solaris 9 Operating System
Solaris 10 Operating System

Date of Resolved Release
15-Jan-2009

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

1. Impact

A security vulnerability in the libxml2 library (see libxml2(3)) bundled with Solaris 9 and Solaris 10 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). This vulnerability may impact applications making use of this library, and the precise impact will vary depending on the application.

Additional information regarding this issue is available in the following document:


2. Contributing Factors

This issue can occur in the following releases:

SPARC Platform
  • Solaris 9 without patch 114014-21
  • Solaris 10 without patch 125731-03
  • OpenSolaris based upon builds snv_01 through snv_100
x86 Platform
  • Solaris 9 without patch 114015-21
  • Solaris 10 without patch 125732-03
  • OpenSolaris based upon builds snv_01 through snv_100
Note: Solaris 8 does not bundle libxml2 and thus no applications supplied with Solaris 8 use libxml2. However, libxml2 version 2.4.12 is included on the Solaris 8 OS Software Supplement CD for use with SunVTS 5.1. The SunVTS 5.1 software doesn't generate XML which would trigger this vulnerability so no patches are required for libxml2 in Solaris 8.

3. Symptoms

If this 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 or memory resources while looping. Commands such as prstat(1M) can be used to determine the utilization of system resources, as in the following example:
$ prstat -s cpu
[...]

4. Workaround

There is no workaround for this issue. Please see the Resolution section below.

5. Resolution

SPARC Platform
  • Solaris 9 with patch 114014-21 or later
  • Solaris 10 with patch 125731-03 or later
  • OpenSolaris based upon build snv_101 or later
x86 Platform
  • Solaris 9 with patch 114015-21 or later
  • Solaris 10 with patch 125732-03 or later
  • OpenSolaris based upon build snv_101 or later
For more information on Security Sun Alerts, see 1009886.1.

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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References

125731-03
125732-03
114014-21
114015-21





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