Summary
Misinterpretation of malicious XML input
Workarounds
Downstream applications can validate the input and reject the maliciously crafted documents.
References
Similar to this one reported on the Go standard library:
- https://mattermost.com/blog/coordinated-disclosure-go-xml-vulnerabilities/
- https://mattermost.com/blog/securing-xml-implementations-across-the-web/
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in
xmldom/xmldom - Email us: send an email to all addresses that are shown by
npm owner ls @xmldom/xmldom
Impact
xmldom versions 0.6.0 and older do not correctly escape special characters when serializing elements removed from their ancestor. This may lead to unexpected syntactic changes during XML processing in some downstream applications.
CVE-2021-32796 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (0.7.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
Update to one of the fixed versions of @xmldom/xmldom (>=0.7.0)
See issue #271 for the status of publishing xmldom to npm or join #270 for Q&A/discussion until it's resolved.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2021-32796? CVE-2021-32796 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in xmldom (npm), affecting versions <= 0.6.0. It is fixed in 0.7.0.
- How severe is CVE-2021-32796? CVE-2021-32796 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which packages are affected by CVE-2021-32796?
xmldom(npm) (versions <= 0.6.0)@xmldom/xmldom(npm) (versions < 0.7.0)
- Is there a fix for CVE-2021-32796? Yes. CVE-2021-32796 is fixed in 0.7.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2021-32796 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2021-32796 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2021-32796 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2021-32796? Upgrade
@xmldom/xmldomto 0.7.0 or later.