Xerces C\+\+Application · Apache
CVE-2012-0880
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 · uneditedApache Xerces-C++ allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via a crafted message sent to an XML service that causes hash table collisions.
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 confidenceApache Xerces-C++ contains a hash collision vulnerability in its XML parsing implementation. Attackers can send specially crafted XML messages containing many elements or attributes that hash to the same value, causing the parser to experience O(n²) complexity and exhaust CPU resources.
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
Xerces C\+\+Application
all versionsCVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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 if Xerces-C++ libraries are presentSearch for Xerces-C++ library files (libxerces-c.so, libxerces-c.dylib, xerces-c_*.dll) or header files in the system, or check package managers for installed xerces-c packagesAffected if Xerces-C++ libraries or packages are found on the system
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Find applications using Xerces-C++Search application dependencies, binary analysis, or configuration files to identify which programs link against or include Xerces-C++ for XML parsingAffected if Applications or services that use Xerces-C++ for XML processing are found
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Determine if XML input is from untrusted sourcesReview service configurations, API endpoints, or data pipelines that accept XML input to identify whether the source is untrusted or externalAffected if Services accept XML input from untrusted or external sources such as user uploads, API requests, or network messages
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Check for web-facing XML servicesInspect web server configurations, SOAP endpoints, REST services, or any network listeners that process XML payloadsAffected if Network-accessible services parse XML documents using Xerces-C++
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Look for XML parser configurationReview application configuration files, initialization code, or XML parser settings to confirm Xerces-C++ is being used as the XML implementationAffected if Xerces-C++ is explicitly configured as the XML parsing engine
A user is affected if Xerces-C++ is present in the environment and any service or application accepts XML input from untrusted or external sources, since all versions of Apache Xerces-C++ contain the hash collision vulnerability.
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 dataUpdate Apache Xerces-C++ to a patched version that addresses the hash collision issue, or implement input validation/rate limiting on XML services to restrict message complexity.
Fix this in Xerces C\+\+
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,616.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-0880 — 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-2012-0880 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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