Missing XML Validation
Description
Failure to enable validation when parsing XML gives an attacker the opportunity to supply malicious input.
Most successful attacks begin with a violation of the programmer’s assumptions. By accepting an XML document without validating it against a DTD or XML schema, the programmer leaves a door open for attackers to provide unexpected, unreasonable, or malicious input. It is not possible for an XML parser to validate all aspects of a document’s content; a parser cannot understand the complete semantics of the data. However, a parser can do a complete and thorough job of checking the document’s structure and therefore guarantee to the code that processes the document that the content is well-formed.
Risk Factors
- Talk about the factors that make this vulnerability likely or unlikely to actually happen
- Discuss the technical impact of a successful exploit of this vulnerability
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