# CVE-2016-2908: XML external entity in Access Manager

> Remote attackers can exploit an XML External Entity flaw in IBM Single Sign On for Bluemix to read arbitrary files or cause denial of service.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.1 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 1 Feb 2017
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-8xx8-9g4g-c4q2

## What is CVE-2016-2908?

CVE-2016-2908 is a critical vulnerability in IBM Corporation Access Manager, published on 1 Feb 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

IBM Single Sign On for Bluemix could allow a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information, caused by a XML external entity (XXE) error when processing XML data by the XML parser. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to read arbitrary files on the system or cause a denial of service.

Weakness: CWE-611 (Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-2908?

It affects 3 products.


Products: Ibm Security Access Manager 9.0 Firmware, Ibm Security Access Manager for Mobile 8.0 Firmware, Ibm Security Access Manager for Web 8.0 Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-2908?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-2908 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-2908 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-2908 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in IBM Corporation Access Manager

- [CVE-2017-1453](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-1453/): Command injection in Security Access Manager (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2016-3029](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-3029/): Cross-site request forgery in Access Manager (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2017-1477](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-1477/): XML external entity in Security Access Manager (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2015-5018](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-5018/): Command injection in n/a (high 8.0)
- [CVE-2016-5919](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-5919/): Weak cryptography in Access Manager (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-2908 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-2908 is a critical vulnerability in IBM Corporation Access Manager, published on 1 Feb 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-2908 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: IBM Corporation Access Manager. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

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-2016-2908/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-2908/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-2908
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-2908
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-2908

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-2908/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.