Critical XXE Vulnerability Found in libxml2 Library
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🧩 Critical vulnerability discovered in libxml2 poses serious security risks. A newly identified flaw in libxml2, a widely-used XML parsing library, could enable attackers to compromise systems and steal sensitive data. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2024-40896 with a critical severity score of 9.1, affects versions prior to 2.11.9, 2.12.9, and 2.13.3. It resides in the library’s SAX parser, allowing for XML External Entity (XXE) attacks that can expose local files and user credentials. This flaw bypasses intended protections and could lead to severe consequences, including Remote Code Execution (RCE) and Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. Users are urged to update to the latest versions of libxml2 and scan for vulnerable applications.
