CVE-2018-9466
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 · uneditedIn the xmlSnprintfElementContent function of valid.c, there is a possible out of bounds write. This could lead to remote escalation of privilege in an unprivileged app with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is needed for exploitation.
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 confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the xmlSnprintfElementContent function in libxml2's valid.c file. The function fails to properly bounds-check when writing element content to a string buffer, allowing an out-of-bounds write that can be exploited to escalate privileges in an unprivileged application through malicious XML content.
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= 7.0= 7.1.1= 7.1.2= 8.0= 8.1CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Locate libxml2 library on the systemSearch for libxml2 shared library files (libxml2.so) in system directories such as /system/lib/, /system/lib64/, or within application bundlesAffected if libxml2 library exists and is used by applications parsing XML content
-
Identify the installed libxml2 versionRun 'strings' or use a library analysis tool on the libxml2 binary to extract version information, or query the library through the application's package metadata if bundledAffected if The version matches Android 7.0, 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 8.0, or 8.1 system images or bundled library versions
-
Verify the vulnerable function exists in the binaryAnalyze the libxml2 binary for the presence of the xmlSnprintfElementContent function in the valid.c component using tools like nm, objdump, or radare2Affected if The function symbol xmlSnprintfElementContent is present in the binary
-
Confirm XML parsing is in useReview application code or runtime behavior to determine if the application parses XML documents using libxml2 APIs such as xmlParseDoc, xmlReadDoc, or related parsing functionsAffected if The application processes untrusted XML content through libxml2 parsing functions
The environment is affected if it runs on Android 7.0 through 8.1 with a libxml2 version containing the vulnerable xmlSnprintfElementContent function that processes XML content.
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.
dbcve · scopedApply the libxml2 security patch for CVE-2018-9466 which adds proper bounds checking to xmlSnprintfElementContent, then rebuild and redistribute the updated library to all affected systems.
Android 8.1 (API level 27) or later, or apply the July 2018 Android Security Patch Level
- 1. Check the current Android version on the affected device by navigating to Settings > About Phone > Android version
- 2. If the device is running Android 7.0, 7.1.1, 7.1.2, or 8.0, check if a system update is available via Settings > System > Software Update > Check for updates
- 3. If an update is available, download and install the latest Android security patch (this vulnerability was addressed in the July 2018 Android Security Bulletin)
- 4. After updating, verify the Android version has changed to 8.1 or higher, or that the security patch level reflects July 2018 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,888.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-9466 — 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-2018-9466 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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