CVE-2009-2625: XercesImpl Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-334p-wv2m-w3vp
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Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2009-2625 is a MODERATE remote code execution vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting XercesImpl libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves denial of service in apache xerces2. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.10.0.

CVE-2009-2625 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2009-2625
GHSA Identifier GHSA-334p-wv2m-w3vp
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product XercesImpl
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2009-2625

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected XercesImpl dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

xerces:xercesImpl fixed: 2.10.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>xerces</groupId>
    <artifactId>xercesImpl</artifactId>
    <version>2.10.0</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=xerces

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2009-2625, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=xerces

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of XercesImpl in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.10.0), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=xerces command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under General Security Weakness. In XercesImpl, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

XMLScanner.java in Apache Xerces2 Java, as used in Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE) in JDK and JRE 6 before Update 15 and JDK and JRE 5.0 before Update 20, and in other products, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop and application hang) via malformed XML input, as demonstrated by the Codenomicon XML fuzzing framework.

CVE-2009-2625 Affected XercesImpl Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.10.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
xerces:xercesImpl
maven/xerces/xercesImpl
Maven
< 2.10.0
2.10.0

References

NVD — CVE-2009-2625 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2009-2625
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/xerces2-j/commit/0bdf77af1d4fd26ec2e630fb6d12e2dfa77bc12b
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=512921
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r204ba2... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r204ba2a9ea750f38d789d2bb429cc0925ad6133deea7cbc3001d96b5@%3Csolr-user.lucene.apache.org%3E
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A8520
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A9356
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2009-11... WEB
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2009-1199.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2009-12... WEB
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2009-1200.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2009-12... WEB
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2009-1201.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2009-16... WEB
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2009-1636.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2009-16... WEB
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2009-1637.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2009-16... WEB
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2009-1649.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2009-16... WEB
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2009-1650.html
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-java-xerc... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-XERCES-32014
www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-pac... WEB
https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-package-announce/2009-August/msg00310.html
www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-pac... WEB
https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-package-announce/2009-August/msg00325.html
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2009/Sep/msg00000.html
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2009-10/msg00001.html
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2009-10/msg00004.html
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2009-11/msg00002.html
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2010-06/msg00001.html
marc.info/ WEB
http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=125787273209737&w=2
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2012-12... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-1232.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2012-15... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-1537.html
secunia.com/advisories/36162 WEB
http://secunia.com/advisories/36162
secunia.com/advisories/36176 WEB
http://secunia.com/advisories/36176
secunia.com/advisories/36180 WEB
http://secunia.com/advisories/36180
secunia.com/advisories/36199 WEB
http://secunia.com/advisories/36199
secunia.com/advisories/37300 WEB
http://secunia.com/advisories/37300
secunia.com/advisories/37460 WEB
http://secunia.com/advisories/37460
secunia.com/advisories/37671 WEB
http://secunia.com/advisories/37671
secunia.com/advisories/37754 WEB
http://secunia.com/advisories/37754
secunia.com/advisories/38231 WEB
http://secunia.com/advisories/38231
secunia.com/advisories/38342 WEB
http://secunia.com/advisories/38342
secunia.com/advisories/43300 WEB
http://secunia.com/advisories/43300
secunia.com/advisories/50549 WEB
http://secunia.com/advisories/50549
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://slackware.com/security/viewer.php?l=slackware-security&y=2011&m=slackware-security.486026
sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do WEB
http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-21-125136-16-1
sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do WEB
http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-66-263489-1
sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do WEB
http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-66-272209-1
sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do WEB
http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-77-1021506.1-1
svn.apache.org/viewvc/xerces/java/... WEB
http://svn.apache.org/viewvc/xerces/java/trunk/src/org/apache/xerces/impl/XMLScanner.java?r1=572055&r2=787352&pathrev=787353&diff_format=h
www.cert.fi/en/reports/2009/vul... WEB
http://www.cert.fi/en/reports/2009/vulnerability2009085.html
www.codenomicon.com/labs/xml WEB
http://www.codenomicon.com/labs/xml
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://www.debian.org/security/2010/dsa-1984
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2009:209
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2011:108
www.networkworld.com/columnists/2009/080... WEB
http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2009/080509-xml-flaw.html
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/09/06/1
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/10/22/9
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/10/23/6
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/10/26/3
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/cpujan2010-084891.html
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/cpuoct2009-096303.html
www.redhat.com/support/errata/rhsa... WEB
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2009-1615.html
www.redhat.com/support/errata/rhsa... WEB
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2011-0858.html
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/507985/100/0/threaded
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/35958
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1022680
www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-890-1 WEB
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-890-1
www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/ta09... WEB
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-294A.html
www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/ta10... WEB
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA10-012A.html
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
http://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2009-0016.html
www.vupen.com/english/advisories/... WEB
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/2543
www.vupen.com/english/advisories/... WEB
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/3316
www.vupen.com/english/advisories/... WEB
http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2011/0359

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2009-2625?
CVE-2009-2625 is a security vulnerability in XercesImpl involving Denial of service in Apache Xerces2 under General Security Weakness.
Which XercesImpl versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.10.0 across affected packages: xerces:xercesImpl.
What version fixes CVE-2009-2625?
Upgrading to 2.10.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is xercesImpl affected?
Yes, xerces:xercesImpl is affected in releases prior to 2.10.0. Upgrade your dependency to 2.10.0 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2009-2625?
CVE-2009-2625 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2009-2625?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=xerces'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-334p-wv2m-w3vp",
  "modified" : "2020-06-15T15:55:30Z",
  "published" : "2020-06-15T18:51:30Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2009-2625" ],
  "summary" : "Denial of service in Apache Xerces2",
  "details" : "XMLScanner.java in Apache Xerces2 Java, as used in Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE) in JDK and JRE 6 before Update 15 and JDK and JRE 5.0 before Update 20, and in other products, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop and application hang) via malformed XML input, as demonstrated by the Codenomicon XML fuzzing framework.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "xerces:xercesImpl"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.10.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2009-2625"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/xerces2-j/commit/0bdf77af1d4fd26ec2e630fb6d12e2dfa77bc12b"
  }, {
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    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=512921"
  }, {
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  }, {
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    "url" : "https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2009-1199.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
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  }, {
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    "url" : "https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2009-1201.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2009-1637.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
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  }, {
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    "url" : "https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2009-1650.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-XERCES-32014"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-package-announce/2009-August/msg00310.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-package-announce/2009-August/msg00325.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2009/Sep/msg00000.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2009-10/msg00001.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2009-10/msg00004.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2009-11/msg00002.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2010-06/msg00001.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=125787273209737&w=2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-1232.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-1537.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://secunia.com/advisories/36162"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://secunia.com/advisories/36176"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://secunia.com/advisories/36180"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://secunia.com/advisories/36199"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://secunia.com/advisories/37300"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://secunia.com/advisories/37460"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://secunia.com/advisories/37671"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://secunia.com/advisories/37754"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://secunia.com/advisories/38231"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://secunia.com/advisories/38342"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://secunia.com/advisories/43300"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://secunia.com/advisories/50549"
  }, {
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-21-125136-16-1"
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  }, {
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    "url" : "http://www.cert.fi/en/reports/2009/vulnerability2009085.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.codenomicon.com/labs/xml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.debian.org/security/2010/dsa-1984"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2009:209"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2011:108"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2009/080509-xml-flaw.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/09/06/1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/10/22/9"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/10/23/6"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/10/26/3"
  }, {
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    "url" : "http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/cpujan2010-084891.html"
  }, {
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    "url" : "http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/cpuoct2009-096303.html"
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    "url" : "http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-890-1"
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    "url" : "http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-294A.html"
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  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-15T15:55:30Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2009-08-06T15:30:00Z"
  }
}