Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2012-3489

The xml_parse function in the libxml2 support in the core server component in PostgreSQL 8.3 before 8.3.20, 8.4 before 8.4.13, 9.0 before 9.0.9, and 9.1 before 9.1.5 allows remote authenticated users to determine the existence of arbitrary files or URLs, and possibly obtain file or URL content that triggers a parsing error, via an XML value that refers to (1) a DTD or (2) an entity, related to an XML External Entity (aka XXE) issue.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a MEDIUM severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.5, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), for affected systems. Impacting 9 products from postgresql, from opensuse, from apple and 6 others, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

Documented in 2012, this vulnerability occurred amid the cloud computing expansion era, where traditional network perimeter security models were being reevaluated. Organizations were transitioning from isolated infrastructure to interconnected systems, creating new attack surfaces that vulnerabilities like this could exploit.

Published

2012-10-03T21:55:00.813

Last Modified

2025-04-11T00:51:21.963

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 6.5 (MEDIUM)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:N/A:N

  • Access Vector: NETWORK
  • Access Complexity: LOW
  • Authentication: SINGLE
  • Confidentiality Impact: PARTIAL
  • Integrity Impact: NONE
  • Availability Impact: NONE
Exploitability Score

8.0

Impact Score

2.9

Weaknesses
  • Type: Primary
    CWE-611
Affected Vendors & Products
Type Vendor Product Version/Range Vulnerable?
Application postgresql postgresql < 8.3.20 Yes
Application postgresql postgresql < 8.4.13 Yes
Application postgresql postgresql < 9.0.9 Yes
Application postgresql postgresql < 9.1.5 Yes
Operating System opensuse opensuse 11.4 Yes
Operating System opensuse opensuse 12.1 Yes
Operating System opensuse opensuse 12.2 Yes
Operating System apple mac_os_x_server ≤ 10.7.5 Yes
Operating System apple mac_os_x_server 10.6.8 Yes
Operating System canonical ubuntu_linux 8.04 Yes
Operating System canonical ubuntu_linux 10.04 Yes
Operating System canonical ubuntu_linux 11.04 Yes
Operating System canonical ubuntu_linux 11.10 Yes
Operating System canonical ubuntu_linux 12.04 Yes
Operating System debian debian_linux 6.0 Yes
Operating System redhat enterprise_linux_desktop 5.0 Yes
Operating System redhat enterprise_linux_desktop 6.0 Yes
Operating System redhat enterprise_linux_eus 6.3 Yes
Operating System redhat enterprise_linux_server 5.0 Yes
Operating System redhat enterprise_linux_server 6.0 Yes
Operating System redhat enterprise_linux_workstation 5.0 Yes
Operating System redhat enterprise_linux_workstation 6.0 Yes
References

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For postgresql's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.