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CVE Record

CVE-2026-32778: libexpat before 2.7.5 allows a NULL pointer dereference in the function setContext on retry after an earlie...

libexpat before 2.7.5 allows a NULL pointer dereference in the function setContext on retry after an earlier ouf-of-memory condition.

LowCVSS 2.9Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysislow

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2026-32778 is a low-severity crash issue in libexpat before 2.7.5. Under a specific low-memory retry condition, parsing can hit a NULL pointer dereference and reduce availability. This is mainly a stability and denial-of-service concern, not a data theft or privilege escalation issue based on the provided sources.

Executive priority

Treat as routine patch management unless libexpat supports high-availability or safety-sensitive XML processing. There is no provided evidence of active exploitation or confidentiality impact. Address through normal vendor update cycles and dependency inventory work.

Technical view

libexpat before 2.7.5 can dereference NULL in setContext when retrying after an earlier out-of-memory condition. The CVSS 3.1 score is 2.9, with local attack vector, high complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, and low availability impact only. CWE-476 applies.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely where applications, operating systems, appliances, or embedded products bundle libexpat and process XML locally. The Siemens advisory indicates downstream product tracking, but the provided bundle does not define specific Siemens affected versions here.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. The CVSS vector indicates local access and high complexity. Practical risk depends on whether an attacker can influence XML processing and trigger the relevant memory-pressure retry path.

Researcher notes

Affected-version metadata in the bundle is limited and partly inconsistent: the title says before 2.7.5, while the affected entry lists version 0 with defaultStatus unaffected. Use upstream pull requests and vendor advisories to confirm exact fixed and downstream package versions.

Mitigation direction

  • Inventory systems and applications that include libexpat.
  • Upgrade libexpat to 2.7.5 or later where applicable.
  • Check operating system, application, and appliance vendor advisories for backported fixes.
  • Review the Siemens advisory if Siemens products are in scope.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm deployed libexpat versions are not earlier than 2.7.5.
  • Check SBOMs and package manifests for bundled or statically linked libexpat.
  • Verify vendor advisories for patched downstream package versions.
  • Prioritize validation on systems where XML parsing affects service availability.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
5

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-476: Exact CWE lookup

Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2026-32778 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Low
CVSS
2.9 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
2ADP providers
4Source links

SSVC decision data

CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: noneAutomatable: noTechnical Impact: partial

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
2.9CVSS 3.1LowCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L1.41.4mitre

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

2.9Low
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2026-32778Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

ADP provider summaries

CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
other:ssvc
siemens-SADPADP container

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
libexpat projectlibexpat0unaffected
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-476

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.