1. Ubuntu Security Notices
  2. USN-1447-1

USN-1447-1: libxml2 vulnerability

Publication date

21 May 2012

Overview

Applications using libxml2 could be made to crash or run programs as your login if they opened a specially crafted file.

Releases

Packages

Details

Juri Aedla discovered that libxml2 contained an off by one error in its
XPointer functionality. If a user or application linked against libxml2
were tricked into opening a specially crafted XML file, an attacker could
cause the application to crash or possibly execute arbitrary code with the
privileges of the user invoking the program.

Juri Aedla discovered that libxml2 contained an off by one error in its
XPointer functionality. If a user or application linked against libxml2
were tricked into opening a specially crafted XML file, an attacker could
cause the application to crash or possibly execute arbitrary code with the
privileges of the user invoking the program.

Update instructions

After a standard system update you need to reboot your computer to make all the necessary changes.

Learn more about how to get the fixes.

The problem can be corrected by updating your system to the following package versions:

Ubuntu Release Package Version
8.04 hardy libxml2 –  2.6.31.dfsg-2ubuntu1.9
12.04 precise libxml2 –  2.7.8.dfsg-5.1ubuntu4.1
11.10 oneiric libxml2 –  2.7.8.dfsg-4ubuntu0.3
11.04 natty libxml2 –  2.7.8.dfsg-2ubuntu0.4
10.04 lucid libxml2 –  2.7.6.dfsg-1ubuntu1.5

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References

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