XML external entity injection in Symfony Config component
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- Present
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Low · Low · Low
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
Symfony before 5.4.56, from 6.0.0 before 6.4.50, from 7.0.0 before 7.4.23 and from 8.0.0 before 8.1.11 are affected. The Config component's XmlUtils::parse() enables DTD validation before rejecting doctypes, so libxml resolves external entities (CWE-611). A remote attacker who supplies XML to this method can determine whether local files exist and cause a denial of service. Applications are affected only if they pass untrusted XML to it.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
Description from the CNA
The Symfony Config component XmlUtils::parse() enables DTD validation before rejecting documents that carry a doctype, allowing XML external entity (XXE) injection in Symfony versions prior to 5.4.56, 6.x prior to 6.4.50, 7.x prior to 7.4.23, and 8.x prior to 8.1.11. A remote attacker who can supply XML to this method can determine whether local files exist, cause a denial of service, and, in some configurations, exfiltrate local file content via a crafted XML document whose doctype declares an external file:// entity. XmlUtils::parse() sets $dom->validateOnParse = true before calling loadXML() and only rejects documents carrying a doctype afterwards. Enabling DTD validation makes libxml resolve external entities during loadXML(), and LIBXML_NONET blocks http:// but not file://, so a file:// entity is read from disk before the doctype rejection runs. The content of the file is not returned to the caller, but the distinct libxml error for a missing path reveals whether a file exists, and an entity pointing at a large or slow file causes a denial of service. If the application registers a network-capable stream wrapper such as s3://, a parameter entity can also send the content of a local file to an external server. This is the same issue as CVE-2026-45071, which was fixed in the DomCrawler component but not in Config. Applications are affected if they pass untrusted XML to XmlUtils::parse() directly. The Symfony components that call it process developer-provided or operator-configured sources, such as configuration files and the XLIFF documents fetched by the translation providers.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
No affected products listed by the sources yet.
Remediation
Upgrade to Symfony 5.4.56, 6.4.50, 7.4.23 or 8.1.11.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Release ·
sensiolabs symfony 5.4.56, 6.4.50 and 2 more versions
6 records Highest priority Priority LOW 6 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2026-85971 Symfony YAML parser inefficient parsing enables denial of servicePriority LOW 38
- TI-2026-85989 Symfony Serializer lets clients turn server files into uploadsPriority LOW 37
- TI-2026-85987 Symfony DataUriNormalizer reads local files from uppercase data URIsPriority LOW 36
Timeline
- 2026-11-06 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-123824
- 2026-11-06 CVSS score added · CISA ADP
- 2026-11-06 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
More sensiolabs vulnerabilities
- TI-2019-13616 An issue was discovered in Symfony 3.4.0 through 3.4.34, 4.2.0 through 4.2.11, and 4.3.0… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2018-10604 An issue was discovered in Http Foundation in Symfony 2.7.0 through 2.7.48, 2.8.0 through… CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.5
- TI-2019-08131 In Symfony before 2.7.51, 2.8.x before 2.8.50, 3.x before 3.4.26, 4.x before 4.1.12, and… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2016-02159 Symfony before 2.8.6 and 3.x before 3.0.6 allows remote attackers to bypass… CVSS 3.0CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2019-08459 An issue was discovered in Symfony before 4.2.12 and 4.3.x before 4.3.8. CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2018-08136 An issue was discovered in the Ldap component in Symfony 2.8.x before 2.8.37, 3.3.x… CVSS 3.0CRITICAL 9.8
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences