XXE in Asterisk

CVE-2026-23739

Asterisk is an open source private branch exchange and telephony toolkit. Prior to versions 20.7-cert9, 20.18.2, 21.12.1, 22.8.2, and 23.2.2, the ast_xml_open() function in xml.c parses XML documents using libxml with unsafe parsing options that enable entity expansion and XInclude processing. Specifically, it invokes xmlReadFile() with the XML_PARSE_NOENT flag and later processes XIncludes via xmlXIncludeProcess().If any untrusted or user-supplied XML file is passed to this function, it can allow an attacker to trigger XML External Entity (XXE) or XInclude-based local file disclosure, potentially exposing sensitive files from the host system. This can also be triggered in other cases in which the user is able to supply input in xml format that triggers the asterisk process to parse it. This issue has been patched in versions 20.7-cert9, 20.18.2, 21.12.1, 22.8.2, and 23.2.2.

Vulnerability class: XXE (XML External Entity)

EPSS: 0.002 (7.5th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 2.0 (Low). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-23739?
CVE-2026-23739 is a low-severity vulnerability in Asterisk, classified under Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (XXE). CVSS score: 2.0/10. Published 2026-02-06.
How severe is CVE-2026-23739?
Low severity. CVSS v3 base score is 2.0 out of 10.