CVE-2006-4686
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedBuffer overflow in the Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT) processing in Microsoft XML Parser 2.6 and XML Core Services 3.0 through 6.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Web page.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in Microsoft XML Parser 2.6 and XML Core Services 3.0-6.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code through malicious XSLT stylesheets in crafted web pages. The vulnerability exists in the XSLT processing component and can be triggered when a user visits a website containing specially crafted XML/XSLT content.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 3.0= 4.0= 6.0= 2.6CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed MSXML versionCheck the Windows registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT for Msxml2 (or msxml) version keys, or examine the msxml version using the command 'reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\Msxml2" /s' or by right-clicking msxml DLL files in System32 and selecting Properties > VersionAffected if The installed version is 2.6, 3.0, 4.0, or 6.0
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Confirm MSXML component is registeredVerify msxml DLL files (such as msxml3.dll, msxml4.dll, msxml6.dll) exist in the Windows system directory and are registered by running 'regsvr32' or checking registry entries under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSXMLAffected if Any vulnerable version (2.6, 3.0, 4.0, or 6.0) is registered on the system
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Verify XSLT processing is accessible to applicationsConfirm that browsers or applications with MSXML integration can process XML and XSLT content. Check if Internet Explorer or other applications use MSXML for XML rendering by attempting to load a simple XML/XSLT page or examining application settingsAffected if XSLT processing is enabled and applications can process XML/XSLT content using the vulnerable MSXML version
A user is affected if Microsoft XML Parser 2.6 or XML Core Services versions 3.0, 4.0, or 6.0 is installed and XSLT processing is accessible to applications that could load malicious web content.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply Microsoft security patches for this vulnerability (MS06-058) or upgrade to non-vulnerable versions of Microsoft XML Core Services. Additionally, deploy network-level filtering and educate users about risks of visiting untrusted websites.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2006-4686 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2006-4686 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data