# CVE-2013-6460: Nokogiri vulnerable to DoS while parsing XML documents

> Attackers can cause a denial of service in applications using the Nokogiri Ruby gem by submitting XML documents that trigger an infinite loop.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 5 Nov 2019
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-62qp-3fxm-9wxf

## What is CVE-2013-6460?

CVE-2013-6460 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 5 Nov 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Nokogiri gem 1.5.x has Denial of Service via infinite loop when parsing XML documents

Weakness: CWE-776 (Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2013-6460?

4 open source packages ship an affected version, including nokogiri. It affects 7 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `nokogiri` | RubyGems | From 1.5.0 | 1.5.11 |
| `nokogiri` | RubyGems | From 1.5.0 | 1.5.11 |
| `nokogiri` | RubyGems | From 1.6.0 | 1.6.1 |
| `nokogiri` | RubyGems | From 1.6.0 | 1.6.1 |

Products: Debian Debian Linux, Nokogiri Nokogiri, Redhat Cloudforms Management Engine, Redhat Enterprise Mrg, Redhat Openstack, Redhat Satellite, Redhat Subscription Asset Manager.

## How do I fix CVE-2013-6460?

Upgrade nokogiri to a fixed version for your release line: 1.5.11 or 1.6.1.

## Is CVE-2013-6460 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2013-6460 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux

- [CVE-2015-3306](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-3306/): ProFTPD Improper Access Control (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-49113](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-49113/): RoundCube Webmail Deserialization of Untrusted Data (critical 9.9, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-24061](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24061/): GNU InetUtils Argument Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-39682](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-39682/): Linux Kernel Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-9680](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-9680/): Mozilla Firefox Use-After-Free (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2013-6460 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2013-6460 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 5 Nov 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2013-6460 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- nokogiri (RubyGems): affected from 1.5.0; fixed in 1.5.11
- nokogiri (RubyGems): affected from 1.5.0; fixed in 1.5.11
- nokogiri (RubyGems): affected from 1.6.0; fixed in 1.6.1
- nokogiri (RubyGems): affected from 1.6.0; fixed in 1.6.1

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6460/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6460/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2013-6460
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-6460
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2013-6460

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6460/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.