It’s time to take XML out back and shoot it
XML Anxiety
XML security problems are numerous, but you can take steps to limit your exposure – or you can use a different standard.
For this month’s column, I intended to write about XML security and how to avoid all the attacks and problems that can occur. I started making a list of issues both well known and not so well known. After listing 20 items, I realized I wouldn’t have enough space to cover everything, so I moved on to plan B: Instead of focusing on the problems, I’d look at the solutions. This worked reasonably well until I realized one small problem: Even if you use software like Python’s new defusedxml and defusedexpat a number of problems are still difficult to deal with.
A Brief History of XML
XML came from the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), who also brought us SGML (from which XML comes), SOAP, HTML, you name it. To say that XML and its related family of standards is complicated is a gross understatement – with XML, XML Schema, RELAX NG, XPath, XSLT, XML Signatures, and XML Encryption to name a few. XML also has been extended into XHTML, RSS, Atom, and KML, to name a few more standards. About the only good news I have is that XML and most of its family of standards are NOT Turing complete (unlike, say, PostScript), but you can embed some pretty funky logic into XML files that can cause problems in the various XML parsers.
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Rhino Linux Announces Latest "Quick Update"
If you prefer your Linux distribution to be of the rolling type, Rhino Linux delivers a beautiful and reliable experience.
-
Plasma Desktop Will Soon Ask for Donations
The next iteration of Plasma has reached the soft feature freeze for the 6.2 version and includes a feature that could be divisive.
-
Linux Market Share Hits New High
For the first time, the Linux market share has reached a new high for desktops, and the trend looks like it will continue.
-
LibreOffice 24.8 Delivers New Features
LibreOffice is often considered the de facto standard office suite for the Linux operating system.
-
Deepin 23 Offers Wayland Support and New AI Tool
Deepin has been considered one of the most beautiful desktop operating systems for a long time and the arrival of version 23 has bolstered that reputation.
-
CachyOS Adds Support for System76's COSMIC Desktop
The August 2024 release of CachyOS includes support for the COSMIC desktop as well as some important bits for video.
-
Linux Foundation Adopts OMI to Foster Ethical LLMs
The Open Model Initiative hopes to create community LLMs that rival proprietary models but avoid restrictive licensing that limits usage.
-
Ubuntu 24.10 to Include the Latest Linux Kernel
Ubuntu users have grown accustomed to their favorite distribution shipping with a kernel that's not quite as up-to-date as other distros but that changes with 24.10.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1.4 Release Includes Improvements and Bug Fixes
The latest release from the KDE team improves the KWin window and composite managers and plenty of fixes.
-
Manjaro Team Tests Immutable Version of its Arch-Based Distribution
If you're a fan of immutable operating systems, you'll be thrilled to know that the Manjaro team is working on an immutable spin that is now available for testing.