CVE-2023-38197
qtbase: infinite loops in QXmlStreamReader
Severity
ModerateRed Hat Product Security
CVSS 3.1
Review impact separately from score.
Published · July 12, 2023
Updated · November 21, 2025
Description
A vulnerability was found in Qtbase, where it is vulnerable to a denial of service caused by an infinite loop flaw in the QXmlStreamReader() function. This flaw occurs because the QXmlStreamReader function accepts multiple DOCTYPE elements containing DTD fragments in the XML prolog and the XML body. Well-formed but invalid XML files - with multiple DTD fragments in prolog and body, combined with recursive entity expansions, causes infinite loops in QXmlStreamReader. By persuading a victim to open specially crafted XML content, an attacker can cause a denial of service condition.
CVSS score applicability
The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.
Mitigation
No mitigation is specified in collected source.
CVSS / CWE
CVSS 3.1 · 7.5CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CWE-835 · Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition ('Infinite Loop')