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Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian

CVE-2015-8241

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-12-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
The xmlNextChar function in libxml2 2.9.2 does not properly check the state, which allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer over-read and application crash) or obtain sensitive information via crafted XML data.

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

The xmlNextChar function in libxml2 2.9.2 fails to properly validate state during XML character processing, allowing crafted XML input to trigger a heap-based buffer over-read. This can cause application crashes (denial of service) or expose sensitive memory contents to attackers.

MitigationUpgrade libxml2 to a patched version beyond 2.9.2, or apply vendor-supplied patches that fix the state checking logic in xmlNextChar. Validate and sanitize untrusted XML input at the application layer as a defense-in-depth measure.

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
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 7.0= 8.0
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system
Affected:= 6.0
Enterprise Linux Hpc NodeOperating system
Affected:= 6.0
Enterprise Linux ServerOperating system
Affected:= 6.0
Enterprise Linux WorkstationOperating system
Affected:= 6.0
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 12.04= 14.04= 15.04= 15.10
Icewall Federation AgentApplication
Affected:= 3.0
Icewall File ManagerApplication
Affected:= 3.0

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
None
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/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. Check installed libxml2 version
    Run `xml2 --version` or `dpkg -l | grep libxml2` (Debian/Ubuntu) or `rpm -qa | grep libxml2` (RHEL) to see the installed version
    Affected if The version listed is exactly 2.9.2
  2. Identify libxml2 library file
    Locate the libxml2 shared library with `ldconfig -p | grep libxml2` or check `/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libxml2.so.2` (path varies by system)
    Affected if The library file exists and its version is 2.9.2
  3. Verify the linked library version
    Use `ldd <application_binary>` or check the soname of the library file with `readelf -d /path/to/libxml2.so.2 | grep SONAME`
    Affected if The application links to libxml2 version 2.9.2
  4. Confirm system distribution and version
    Run `cat /etc/os-release` or `lsb_release -a` to identify the OS
    Affected if The system is Debian 7.0, Debian 8.0, RHEL 6.x, Ubuntu 12.04, 14.04, 15.04, or 15.10 and libxml2 is version 2.9.2
  5. Check for XML parsing usage
    Inspect running applications or services that process XML input with `ldd <binary> | grep xml` or review application dependencies
    Affected if The system runs applications that link against libxml2 2.9.2 to parse XML content

You are affected if your system runs libxml2 version 2.9.2 and processes untrusted XML input with any application linked against this library version.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade libxml2 to a patched version beyond 2.9.2, or apply vendor-supplied patches that fix the state checking logic in xmlNextChar. Validate and sanitize untrusted XML input at the application layer as a defense-in-depth measure.

Fix this in Debian Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,040
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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-2015-8241 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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