CVE-2016-3705: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-r6qj-ff26-p4v7
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-3705 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2016-3705 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-3705
GHSA Identifier GHSA-r6qj-ff26-p4v7
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-20: Improper Input Validation
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

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

How to Fix CVE-2016-3705

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

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

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2016-3705, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software 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 mvn dependency:tree 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 CWE-20: Improper Input Validation, where the product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly. In Software, 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

The (1) xmlParserEntityCheck and (2) xmlParseAttValueComplex functions in parser.c in libxml2 2.9.3 do not properly keep track of the recursion depth, which allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (stack consumption and application crash) via a crafted XML document containing a large number of nested entity references.

References

NVD — CVE-2016-3705 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-3705
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016:12... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:1292
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016:29... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:2957
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-3705
bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=765207
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1332443
h20566.www2.hpe.com/portal/site/hpsc/pu... WEB
https://h20566.www2.hpe.com/portal/site/hpsc/public/kb/docDisplay?docId=emr_na-c05157239
kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index WEB
https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=SB10170
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-37
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3593
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://www.tenable.com/security/tns-2016-18
lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/20... WEB
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-05/msg00055.html
lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/20... WEB
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2016-05/msg00127.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016-29... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2957.html
seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2016... WEB
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2016/May/10
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/bulletinjul2016-3090568.html
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/linuxbulletinjul2016-3090544.html
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/ovmbulletinjul2016-3090546.html
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/89854
www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-2994-1 WEB
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2994-1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-3705?
CVE-2016-3705 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2016-3705?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-3705?
CVE-2016-3705 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-3705?
CVE-2016-3705 is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation (The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2016-3705?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. 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 
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