CVE-2012-0881: XercesImpl Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-vmqm-g3vh-847m
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-400
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2012-0881 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) 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 2.12.0.

CVE-2012-0881 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2012-0881
GHSA Identifier GHSA-vmqm-g3vh-847m
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product XercesImpl
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-2012-0881

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: 2.12.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>xerces</groupId>
    <artifactId>xercesImpl</artifactId>
    <version>2.12.0</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-2012-0881, 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 2.12.0), 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 CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. 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

Apache Xerces2 Java Parser before 2.12.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via a crafted message to an XML service, which triggers hash table collisions.

CVE-2012-0881 Affected XercesImpl Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.12.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
xerces:xercesImpl
maven/xerces/xercesImpl
Maven
< 2.12.0
2.12.0

References

NVD — CVE-2012-0881 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-0881
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/xerces2-j/commit/992b5d9c24102ad20330d36c0a71162753a37449
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html
XercesImpl Security Information SECURITY
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/07/08/11
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rea7b83... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rea7b831dceeb2a2fa817be6f63b08722042e3647fb2d47c144370a56@%3Ccommon-issues.hadoop.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rea7b83... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rea7b831dceeb2a2fa817be6f63b08722042e3647fb2d47c144370a56%40%3Ccommon-issues.hadoop.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r204ba2... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r204ba2a9ea750f38d789d2bb429cc0925ad6133deea7cbc3001d96b5@%3Csolr-user.lucene.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r204ba2... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r204ba2a9ea750f38d789d2bb429cc0925ad6133deea7cbc3001d96b5%40%3Csolr-user.lucene.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/f9bc3e5... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/f9bc3e55f4e28d1dcd1a69aae6d53e609a758e34d2869b4d798e13cc@%3Cissues.drill.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/f9bc3e5... WEB
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lists.apache.org/thread.html/b0656d3... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/b0656d359c7d40ec9f39c8cc61bca66802ef9a2a12ee199f5b0c1442@%3Cdev.drill.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/b0656d3... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/b0656d359c7d40ec9f39c8cc61bca66802ef9a2a12ee199f5b0c1442%40%3Cdev.drill.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/708d941... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/708d94141126eac03011144a971a6411fcac16d9c248d1d535a39451@%3Csolr-user.lucene.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/708d941... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/708d94141126eac03011144a971a6411fcac16d9c248d1d535a39451%40%3Csolr-user.lucene.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/519eb0f... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/519eb0fd45642dcecd9ff74cb3e71c20a4753f7d82e2f07864b5108f@%3Cdev.drill.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/519eb0f... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/519eb0fd45642dcecd9ff74cb3e71c20a4753f7d82e2f07864b5108f%40%3Cdev.drill.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/49dc670... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/49dc6702104a86ecbb40292dcd329ce9ae4c32b74733199ecab14a73@%3Cj-users.xerces.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/49dc670... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/49dc6702104a86ecbb40292dcd329ce9ae4c32b74733199ecab14a73%40%3Cj-users.xerces.apache.org%3E
issues.apache.org/jira/browse/xercesj... WEB
https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/XERCESJ-1685
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=787104

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2012-0881?
CVE-2012-0881 is a security vulnerability in XercesImpl involving Denial of service in Apache Xerces2 under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which XercesImpl versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.12.0 across affected packages: xerces:xercesImpl.
What version fixes CVE-2012-0881?
Upgrading to 2.12.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is xercesImpl affected?
Yes, xerces:xercesImpl is affected in releases prior to 2.12.0. Upgrade your dependency to 2.12.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2012-0881?
CVE-2012-0881 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-2012-0881?
CVE-2012-0881 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2012-0881?
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 
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}