Integer overflow in the xmlSAX2Characters function in libxml2 2.7.2 allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a large XML document.
Conclusion & alert: CVE-2008-4226 is rated High Risk (76.2/100): CVSS Critical severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 7.96%, 92th percentile). Core evidence: EPSS ranks this CVE among the most likely to be exploited in the near term. EPSS rose +3.93% over the last day, indicating growing attacker interest. Mandatory action: High exploitation likelihood—assess exposure and prioritize remediation.
Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.
EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).
| # | Date | Old EPSS score | New EPSS score | Delta (New - Old) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026-05-12 | 4.03% | 7.96% | +3.93% |
| 2 | 2026-05-11 | 2.79% | 4.03% | +1.24% |
| 3 | 2025-08-30 | — | 2.79% | — |
Full EPSS history (11 records total)
CVSS metrics for this CVE.
| Base score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability | Impact | Score source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.0 | 2.0 | HIGH |
|
10.0 | 10.0 | [email protected] |
| vendor | priority | summary | link |
|---|---|---|---|
debian
|
not yet assigned | CVE-2008-4226 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (libxml2), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. | https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2008-4226 |
gentoo
|
normal | CVE-2008-4226: 1 GLSA(s) (200812-06), 1 atom(s) (dev-libs/libxml2); latest impact normal. | https://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?quicksearch=CVE-2008-4226 |
redhat
|
high | — | https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2008-4226 |
suse
|
critical | CVE-2008-4226 severity critical: SUSE including 87 source package names (libxml2-2-2.11.6-2.1, libxml2-2-2.11.6-slfo.1.1_1.2, …), 121 product×package rows across 32 product lines (SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 12, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP1, … (32 product lines)): Fixed 121. | https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2008-4226/ |
ubuntu
|
medium | CVE-2008-4226 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (libxml2), 5 status rows across 5 suites (dapper, gutsy, hardy, intrepid, upstream): released 4, needs-triage 1. | https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2008-4226 |