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Xerces C\+\+Application · Apache

CVE-2016-2099

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-05-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.1.3 or later.
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
Use-after-free vulnerability in validators/DTD/DTDScanner.cpp in Apache Xerces C++ 3.1.3 and earlier allows context-dependent attackers to have unspecified impact via an invalid character in an XML document.

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

Use-after-free vulnerability in Apache Xerces C++ DTDScanner.cpp allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted XML documents containing invalid characters that cause improper memory deallocation during DTD validation. The vulnerability exists in the DTD validation component when processing malformed XML input.

MitigationUpgrade to Apache Xerces C++ version newer than 3.1.3; if immediate upgrade is not possible, implement input validation and sanitization for XML documents before parsing to reduce attack surface.

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
Affected:<= 3.1.3
OpensuseOperating system
Affected:= 13.2

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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 installed Apache Xerces C++ version
    Run 'xerces-c-version' from command line, or check package manager: 'rpm -q xerces-c' (RHEL/CentOS) or 'dpkg -l libxerces-c' (Debian/Ubuntu)
    Affected if Version is 3.1.3 or lower, or unable to determine version (unlisted/older install)
  2. Confirm DTD validation is in use
    Inspect application code or configuration for XML parsing that uses DTD validation (look for Xerces DOMParser with DTD validation enabled, or Xerces SAXParser with validation set to true)
    Affected if Application parses XML documents with DTD validation enabled or auto-detect validation enabled
  3. Verify the xerces-c library is loaded
    Check running processes for xerces-c library linkage: 'ldd <process_executable>' or 'grep -r xerces /proc/<pid>/maps' for running processes
    Affected if xerces-c library is loaded into memory by any application processing XML
  4. Check for exposure to untrusted XML input
    Review whether applications using Xerces accept XML from untrusted sources (network, user uploads, external APIs)
    Affected if Application processes XML from untrusted or external sources without prior sanitization

User is affected if Apache Xerces C++ version 3.1.3 or lower is installed AND DTD validation is enabled for parsing untrusted or malformed XML documents

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 3.1.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Apache Xerces C++ version newer than 3.1.3; if immediate upgrade is not possible, implement input validation and sanitization for XML documents before parsing to reduce attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

Xerces C++ 3.1.4 or later

  1. 1. Identify the Xerces C++ library version currently installed (e.g., via package manager or checking library files)
  2. 2. For systems using Apache Xerces C++ directly: download Xerces C++ version 3.1.4 or later from the Apache Xerces website or trusted mirror
  3. 3. Compile and install the newer version following standard build procedures (./configure, make, make install)
  4. 4. Ensure any applications linked against the old library are restarted or relinked to use the updated library
  5. 5. For OpenSUSE 13.2: apply available system updates via 'zypper update' or 'zypper patch' to receive the security fix
  6. 6. Verify the installed version is 3.1.4 or newer
Caveat Minor version upgrade within 3.x series; unlikely to have breaking changes for most users, but test in non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Xerces C\+\+ Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,100
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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-2016-2099 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