Local process crash via self-referencing SGML catalog
Published Aug 8, 2025 · Updated Jun 2, 2026
Uncontrolled recursion in libxml2 2.14.0 through 2.14.5 allows local users to crash a consuming process with a crafted SGML catalog. xmlParseSGMLCatalog follows multiple CATALOG directives that point back to the same file, recursively reentering xmlExpandCatalog without deduplicating the expanded filename until the call stack overflows. Triggering requires an untrusted local SGML catalog; Siemens also identifies RUGGEDCOM RST2428P before V4.0 as affected, while the libxml2 maintainer disputes the practical security relevance.
Summary
What happened
Uncontrolled recursion in libxml2 2.14.0 through 2.14.5 allows local users to crash a consuming process with a crafted SGML catalog. xmlParseSGMLCatalog follows multiple CATALOG directives that point back to the same file, recursively reentering xmlExpandCatalog without deduplicating the expanded filename until the call stack overflows. Triggering requires an untrusted local SGML catalog; Siemens also identifies RUGGEDCOM RST2428P before V4.0 as affected, while the libxml2 maintainer disputes the practical security relevance.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-8732
- Published
- Aug 8, 2025
- Updated
- Jun 2, 2026
- Vendor
- XMLSoft
- Product
- libxml2
- Classifications
- CWE-404, CWE-674, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 8, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jun 2, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=2.14.0
- Affected versionversion=2.14.1
- Affected versionversion=2.14.2
- Affected versionversion=2.14.3
- Affected versionversion=2.14.4
- Affected versionversion=2.14.5
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Self-referencing SGML catalog stack-overflow proof of conceptproof of concept · unverified
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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