CVE-2024-34391: Libxmljs Libxmljs Vulnerable To Type Confusion Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-6433-x5p4-8jc7
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CVSS 8.1
CWE-843
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2024-34391 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 8.1) libxmljs vulnerable to type confusion vulnerability (CWE-843: Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type ('Type Confusion')) affecting Libxmljs libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves libxmljs vulnerable to type confusion when parsing specially crafted xml. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2024-34391 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2024-34391
GHSA Identifier GHSA-6433-x5p4-8jc7
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-843: Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type ('Type Confusion')
Affected Product Libxmljs
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2024-34391

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

libxmljs fixed: Latest secure release 
npm install libxmljs@Latest secure release
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

npm ls libxmljs

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2024-34391, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls libxmljs

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

Note: The npm ls libxmljs command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-843: Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type ('Type Confusion'), where the product allocates or initializes a resource such as a pointer, object, or variable using one type, but it later accesses that resource using a type that is incompatible with the original type. In Libxmljs, 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

libxmljs is vulnerable to a type confusion vulnerability when parsing a specially crafted XML while invoking a function on the result of `attrs()` that was called on a parsed node. This vulnerability might lead to denial of service (on both 32-bit systems and 64-bit systems), data leak, infinite loop and remote code execution (on 32-bit systems with the XML_PARSE_HUGE flag enabled).

CVE-2024-34391 Affected Libxmljs Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
libxmljs
npm/libxmljs
npm
≤ 1.0.11

References

NVD — CVE-2024-34391 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-34391
Libxmljs Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/libxmljs/libxmljs/issues/645
Libxmljs Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/libxmljs/libxmljs
research.jfrog.com/vulnerabilities/lib... WEB
https://research.jfrog.com/vulnerabilities/libxmljs-attrs-type-confusion-rce-jfsa-2024-001033988

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-34391?
CVE-2024-34391 is a security vulnerability in Libxmljs involving libxmljs vulnerable to type confusion when parsing specially crafted XML under CWE-843: Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type ('Type Confusion').
Which Libxmljs versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: libxmljs.
What version fixes CVE-2024-34391?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is libxmljs affected?
Yes, libxmljs is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2024-34391?
CVE-2024-34391 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2024-34391?
CVE-2024-34391 is classified under CWE-843: Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type ('Type Confusion') (The product allocates or initializes a resource such as a pointer, object, or variable using one type, but it later accesses that resource using a type that is incompatible with the original type.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2024-34391?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls libxmljs'. 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-6433-x5p4-8jc7",
  "modified" : "2024-11-25T19:27:36Z",
  "published" : "2024-05-02T21:30:29Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2024-34391" ],
  "summary" : "libxmljs vulnerable to type confusion when parsing specially crafted XML",
  "details" : "libxmljs is vulnerable to a type confusion vulnerability when parsing a specially crafted XML while invoking a function on the result of `attrs()` that was called on a parsed node. This vulnerability might lead to denial of service (on both 32-bit systems and 64-bit systems), data leak, infinite loop and remote code execution (on 32-bit systems with the XML_PARSE_HUGE flag enabled).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "libxmljs"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "1.0.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-34391"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/libxmljs/libxmljs/issues/645"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/libxmljs/libxmljs"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://research.jfrog.com/vulnerabilities/libxmljs-attrs-type-confusion-rce-jfsa-2024-001033988"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-843" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-05-03T20:24:29Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2024-05-02T19:15:06Z"
  }
}