:: Deepquest ::

In May 2014, VSR identified a vulnerability in versions 7.0 and 7.1 of the iOS SDK whereby the NSXMLParser class, resolves XML External Entities by default despite documentation which indicates otherwise. In addition, settings to change the behavior of XML External Entity resolution appears to be non-functional. This vulnerability, commonly known as XXE (XML eXternal Entities) attacks could allow for an attacker’s ability to use the XML parser to carry out attacks ranging from network port scanning, information disclosure, denial of service, and potentially to carry out remote file retrieval. Further review also revealed that the Foundation Framework used in OS X 10.9.x is also vulnerable.