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Xml Security For C\+\+Application · Apache

CVE-2013-2210

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-08-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.7.1 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Heap-based buffer overflow in the XML Signature Reference functionality in Apache Santuario XML Security for C++ (aka xml-security-c) before 1.7.2 allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via malformed XPointer expressions. NOTE: this is due to an incorrect fix for CVE-2013-2154.

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 confidence

Heap-based buffer overflow in Apache Santuario XML Security for C++ (xml-security-c) in the XML Signature Reference functionality. The vulnerability is triggered by malformed XPointer expressions and stems from an incomplete fix for CVE-2013-2154. This allows context-dependent attackers to cause denial of service via crash and potentially achieve arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpgrade xml-security-c to version 1.7.2 or later to obtain the correct fix. Apply input validation on XPointer expressions as a compensating control until the upgrade is completed.

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
Xml Security For C\+\+Application
Affected:<= 1.7.1= 0.1.0= 0.2.0= 1.1.0= 1.2.0= 1.2.1= 1.3.0= 1.3.1= 1.4.0= 1.5.0= 1.5.1= 1.6.0

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify xml-security-c library version
    Search for the installed xml-security-c library and its version. Common locations include /usr/lib/, /usr/local/lib/, or check package managers (dpkg -l, rpm -qa, brew list). Look for files named libxml-security-c.so, libxml-security-c.a, or similar. Use 'strings' on the library binary to search for version strings like 'xml-security-c', 'Apache XML Security', or version numbers.
    Affected if The installed version is 1.7.1 or earlier, or matches any of these: 0.1.0, 0.2.0, 1.1.0, 1.2.0, 1.2.1, 1.3.0, 1.3.1, 1.4.0, 1.5.0, 1.5.1, 1.6.0 (including the <=1.7.1 range).
  2. Determine if XML Signature Reference processing is used
    Review application code or configuration for usage of XML Signature functionality from xml-security-c. Search for inclusion of headers like XSEC.h, XSECSignature.h, XSECReference.h. Look for code paths that create or validate XML signatures using the library.
    Affected if The application processes XML signatures using Apache XML Security for C++ with Reference elements.
  3. Check for XPointer expression handling in XML signatures
    Inspect XML documents or application inputs that are signed or verified. Look for <Reference> elements within <Signature> that contain XPointer expressions in the URI attribute (e.g., uri='#xpointer(...)' or uri='id("...")'). Examine logs or traces if the application processes external XML signatures.
    Affected if The application processes XML signatures containing XPointer expressions in Reference URIs, especially malformed or complex XPointer expressions.
  4. Verify library compilation context
    Check if the application is linked against a vulnerable version of xml-security-c. Use 'ldd <executable>' on Linux or 'otool -L <executable>' on macOS to list dynamic library dependencies. Search build configurations, Makefiles, or package manifests for xml-security-c references.
    Affected if The application links to a vulnerable version of the xml-security-c shared or static library.

You are affected if your application uses Apache xml-security-c version 1.7.1 or earlier and processes XML signatures with XPointer expressions in Reference elements.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.7.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade xml-security-c to version 1.7.2 or later to obtain the correct fix. Apply input validation on XPointer expressions as a compensating control until the upgrade is completed.

Fix this in Xml Security For C\+\+ Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA5.0 h
33.0 hours of engineering $5,760
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2013-2210 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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