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Information ServerApplication · Cisco

CVE-2016-1343

CRITICAL · 10.0 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-04-30
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 XML parser in Cisco Information Server (CIS) 6.2 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files or cause a denial of service (CPU and memory consumption) via an external entity declaration in conjunction with an entity reference, related to an XML External Entity (XXE) issue, aka Bug ID CSCuy39059.

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 XML parser in Cisco Information Server (CIS) 6.2 is vulnerable to XML External Entity (XXE) injection. Attackers can exploit external entity declarations combined with entity references to read arbitrary files from the server's filesystem or trigger resource exhaustion (CPU/memory consumption) leading to denial of service.

MitigationDisable external entity processing in the XML parser configuration and apply the vendor patch when available; for immediate mitigation, sanitize or reject XML containing DOCTYPE declarations with external entity references.

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
Information ServerApplication
Affected:= 6.2_base

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/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 checks

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

  1. Identify Cisco Information Server version
    Run the CIS version command or check the installed software inventory to confirm the exact version number installed
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 6.2_base (or any 6.2 installation)
  2. Locate the XML parser configuration
    Search the CIS configuration directory for XML parser settings, typically found in XML-related config files or the server's main configuration
    Affected if The XML parser is configured with external entity processing enabled (DTD processing allowed)
  3. Inspect XML parser settings for entity handling
    Examine the XML parser configuration for settings related to DOCTYPE declarations, external entities, or DTD validation
    Affected if The parser is configured to allow or process external entity declarations from XML input
  4. Verify if XML data ingestion is exposed
    Check which CIS endpoints or features accept XML input (such as data sources, transformations, or web services)
    Affected if The CIS server accepts XML input from untrusted sources without sanitization

You are affected if CIS version 6.2_base is installed and the XML parser is configured to allow external entity processing in its configuration.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Disable external entity processing in the XML parser configuration and apply the vendor patch when available; for immediate mitigation, sanitize or reject XML containing DOCTYPE declarations with external entity references.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to CIS 7.x or later (consult Cisco advisory for exact fixed release)

  1. 1. Identify the current Cisco Information Server (CIS) installation version and confirm it is 6.2_base
  2. 2. Contact Cisco support or consult the official Cisco Security Advisory for CVE-2016-1343 at tools.cisco.com to obtain the specific fixed version or patch
  3. 3. Plan for a maintenance window to perform the upgrade
  4. 4. Back up the current CIS configuration and any custom integrations
  5. 5. Upgrade CIS to the fixed version (typically 7.x or later per Cisco's migration path)
  6. 6. Verify the XML parser configuration after upgrade to ensure XXE protections are enabled
  7. 7. Test critical integrations to ensure functionality is maintained post-upgrade
  8. 8. Monitor for any abnormal resource consumption indicating attempted XXE exploitation
Caveat Upgrading from 6.2 to 7.x may require migration of configurations and custom integrations; test thoroughly in non-production first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Information Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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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-2016-1343 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