xml2rfc has file inclusion irregularitiesGHSA-432c-wxpg-m4q3
Fix: ietf-tools/xml2rfc@ec98f9cGHSA-432c-wxpg-m4q3 is a security vulnerability in xml2rfc. A fix is available for xml2rfc — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Real-World Exposure
xml2rfcReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Version 3.12.0 changed xml2rfc so that it would not access local files without the presence of its new --allow-local-file-access flag.
This prevented XML External Entity (XXE) injection attacks with xinclude and XML entity references.
It was discovered that xml2rfc does not respect --allow-local-file-access when a local file is specified as src in artwork or sourcecode elements. Furthermore, XML entity references can include any file inside the source dir and below without using the --allow-local-file-access flag.
The xml2rfc <= 3.26.0 behaviour:
xinclude | XML entity reference | artwork src= | sourcecode src= | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
without --allow-local-file-access flag | No filesystem access | Any file in xml2rfc templates dir and below, any file in source directory and below | Access source directory and below | Access source directory and below |
with --allow-local-file-access flag | Access any file on filesystem1 | Access any file on filesystem1 | Access source directory and below | Access source directory and below |
Impact
Anyone running xml2rfc as a service that accepts input from external users is impacted by this issue.
Specifying a file in src attribute in artwork or sourcecode elements will cause the contents of that file to appear in xml2rfc’s output results.
But that file has to be inside the same directory as the XML input source file.
For artwork and sourcecode, xml2rfc will not look above the source file directory.
The proposed new behaviour
- Generalize file access checks.
- Only allow access to files within src dir and below. (xml entity include can access templates dir).
- Always allow access to
templates_dirfor XML entity includes.
New behaviour:
xinclude | XML entity reference | artwork src= | sourcecode src= | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
without --allow-local-file-access flag | No filesystem access | No filesystem access (except for templates_dir) | No filesystem access | No filesystem access |
with --allow-local-file-access flag | Access source directory and below | Access source directory and below (Can accesstemplates_dir). | Access source directory and below | Access source directory and below |
Workarounds
Use a secure temporary directory to process un-trusted XML files, and do not reuse it for processing other XML documents.
Footnotes
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | xml2rfc | ≥ 3.12.0&&< 3.27.0 | 3.27.0pip install --upgrade 'xml2rfc==3.27.0' |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for xml2rfc, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update xml2rfc to 3.27.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-432c-wxpg-m4q3 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-432c-wxpg-m4q3 in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.