# CVE-2016-8980: XML external entity in BigFix Inventory

> Remote attackers can exploit XML External Entity injection in IBM BigFix Inventory to read sensitive data or cause denial of service.

- **Severity:** High 8.1 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 1 Feb 2017
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-2h6f-jv94-879x

## What is CVE-2016-8980?

CVE-2016-8980 is a high-severity vulnerability in IBM Corporation BigFix Inventory, published on 1 Feb 2017. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

IBM BigFix Inventory v9 is vulnerable to a denial of service, caused by an XML External Entity Injection (XXE) error when processing XML data. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to expose highly sensitive information or consume all available memory resources.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-8980?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Ibm Bigfix Inventory, Ibm License Metric Tool.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-8980?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-8980 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-8980 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-8980 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in IBM Corporation BigFix Inventory

- [CVE-2016-8964](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8964/): Security feature bypass in BigFix Inventory (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2016-8961](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8961/): Open redirect in BigFix Inventory (medium 6.1)
- [CVE-2016-8962](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8962/): Weak cryptography in BigFix Inventory (medium 5.9)
- [CVE-2016-8966](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8966/): Information disclosure in BigFix Inventory (medium 5.9)
- [CVE-2016-8963](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8963/): Information disclosure in BigFix Inventory (medium 5.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-8980 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-8980 is a high-severity vulnerability in IBM Corporation BigFix Inventory, published on 1 Feb 2017. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-8980 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: IBM Corporation BigFix Inventory. 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-2016-8980/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8980/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-8980
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-8980
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-8980

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8980/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.