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Xerces C\+\+Application · Apache

CVE-2017-12627

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-03-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.2.1 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
In Apache Xerces-C XML Parser library before 3.2.1, processing of external DTD paths can result in a null pointer dereference under certain conditions.

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 · moderate confidence

Apache Xerces-C XML Parser before version 3.2.1 contains a null pointer dereference vulnerability when processing external DTD paths. This memory corruption issue in the XML parsing logic can be triggered by specially crafted XML documents referencing external DTDs, potentially leading to denial of service or code execution.

MitigationUpgrade Apache Xerces-C to version 3.2.1 or later. As a compensating control, disable external entity and DTD processing in XML parsers where feasible.

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:< 3.2.1

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 the installed Xerces-C version
    Run 'xerces-c_3 -v' or 'dpkg -l libxerces-c3*' on Debian-based systems; 'rpm -qi xerces-c' on RHEL-based systems; or check the library file version with 'strings /usr/lib/libxerces-c.so.* | grep -i version'
    Affected if The version number returned is less than 3.2.1 or no version is displayed indicating an outdated build
  2. Locate the Xerces-C library file and determine its version
    Find the library with 'find /usr -name "libxerces-c*" -type f 2>/dev/null' and check its version metadata using 'file' or examining the SONAME with 'readelf -d'
    Affected if The library version embedded in the file name or metadata is below 3.2.1
  3. Identify applications or services that use Xerces-C for XML parsing
    Search configuration files, application logs, or source code for Xerces-C usage; use 'ldd' on suspected binaries to see if they link against libxerces-c
    Affected if Applications link against libxerces-c and process XML documents from untrusted sources
  4. Inspect XML documents for external DTD references
    Search XML files or data streams for '<!DOCTYPE' declarations containing 'SYSTEM' or 'PUBLIC' identifiers pointing to external URLs or file paths
    Affected if XML documents being parsed contain external DTD declarations that trigger the vulnerable code path
  5. Review the parser configuration for external entity handling
    Examine application code or configuration for Xerces-C parser settings, specifically the XercesDOMParser or SAXParser configuration for external entity resolution; check if XMLReader or similar wrappers disable external entity processing
    Affected if The parser is configured to allow external DTD processing (default behavior) and processes untrusted XML input

You are affected if Apache Xerces-C version 3.2.1 or earlier is installed AND your applications process XML documents containing external DTD references from untrusted sources.

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 3.2.1 or later
Fixed in 3.2.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Apache Xerces-C to version 3.2.1 or later. As a compensating control, disable external entity and DTD processing in XML parsers where feasible.

Recommended fix High confidence

Xerces-C++ 3.2.1 or later

  1. Identify the current version of Xerces-C++ in use by checking library files or build dependencies
  2. Obtain Xerces-C++ version 3.2.1 or later from the official Apache Xerces repository (xerces.apache.org)
  3. Upgrade the Xerces-C++ library package through your system's package manager (e.g., apt, yum, brew) or by building from source
  4. Rebuild and recompile any applications that statically or dynamically link against the Xerces-C++ library
  5. Verify the upgraded version is 3.2.1 or later using --version or similar command
  6. Test the XML parsing functionality to confirm the upgrade does not break existing functionality
Caveat Upgrade is a patch release; regression testing recommended but no major API changes expected

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

Fix this in Xerces C\+\+ Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2017-12627 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