Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2016-5131

Use-after-free vulnerability in libxml2 through 2.9.4, as used in Google Chrome before 52.0.2743.82, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors related to the XPointer range-to function.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.8, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity though user interaction is required and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 14 products from google, from xmlsoft, from apple and 11 others, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2016, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.

Published

2016-07-23T19:59:13.767

Last Modified

2025-12-04T17:15:49.963

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 8.8 (HIGH)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

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

8.6

Impact Score

6.4

Weaknesses
  • Type: Primary
    CWE-416
  • Type: Secondary
    CWE-416
Affected Vendors & Products
Type Vendor Product Version/Range Vulnerable?
Application google chrome < 52.0.2743.82 Yes
Application xmlsoft libxml2 ≤ 2.9.4 Yes
Operating System apple iphone_os < 10.0 Yes
Operating System apple mac_os_x < 10.12 Yes
Operating System apple tvos < 10.0 Yes
Operating System apple watchos < 3.0 Yes
Operating System canonical ubuntu_linux 14.04 Yes
Operating System canonical ubuntu_linux 16.04 Yes
Operating System redhat enterprise_linux_desktop 6.0 Yes
Operating System redhat enterprise_linux_server 6.0 Yes
Operating System redhat enterprise_linux_workstation 6.0 Yes
Operating System opensuse leap 42.1 Yes
Operating System opensuse opensuse 13.1 Yes
Operating System opensuse opensuse 13.2 Yes
Operating System suse linux_enterprise 12.0 Yes
Operating System debian debian_linux 8.0 Yes
Operating System debian debian_linux 9.0 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 google'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.