CVE-2014-4374
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 · uneditedNSXMLParser in Foundation in Apple iOS before 8 allows attackers to read arbitrary files via XML data containing an external entity declaration in conjunction with an entity reference, related to an XML External Entity (XXE) issue.
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 confidenceNSXMLParser in Apple's iOS Foundation framework before version 8 processes XML External Entities (XXE) by default. Attackers can craft malicious XML containing external entity declarations that reference local file paths (e.g., file:///etc/passwd), causing the parser to read and disclose arbitrary files from the device when the XML is parsed.
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<= 10.9.4<= 7.1.2= 7.0= 7.0.1= 7.0.2= 7.0.3= 7.0.4= 7.0.5= 7.0.6= 7.1= 7.1.1CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
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 the iOS or macOS versionOn iOS: go to Settings > General > About > Version. On macOS: click Apple menu > About This Mac > Version. Record the numeric version number.Affected if The version is 10.9.4 or earlier for macOS, or 7.1.2/7.0.x for iOS.
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Audit application code for NSXMLParser usageSearch source code for imports of Foundation and usage of NSXMLParser class, particularly initialization with initWithData: or initWithContentsOfURL:.Affected if The application uses NSXMLParser to parse XML data from untrusted sources.
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Check NSXMLParser delegate implementationLocate the delegate class implementing NSXMLParserDelegate. Search for the delegate method shouldResolveExternalEntities (available in iOS 8+) or custom XML validation logic.Affected if The delegate does not override shouldResolveExternalEntities to return NO, or no DOCTYPE/external entity validation exists.
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Inspect XML input handlingReview code paths that feed data to NSXMLParser. Determine if XML comes from untrusted sources such as network responses, user uploads, or external files.Affected if NSXMLParser processes XML from untrusted or user-controlled sources without prior sanitization.
The environment is affected if the device runs a vulnerable iOS/macOS version AND the application uses NSXMLParser to parse untrusted XML without disabling external entity processing.
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 dataConfigure NSXMLParser to disable external entity processing by implementing a custom NSXMLParserDelegate that validates XML input or by using alternative parsers with XXE protection enabled. Sanitize or reject XML containing DOCTYPE declarations with external entity references.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-4374 — 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-2014-4374 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
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