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Security advisory

Type: advisorySources: OSVCVE: CVE-2020-5227

Feedgen (python feedgen) before 0.9.0 is susceptible to XML Denial of Service attacks. The *feedgen* library allows supplying XML as content for some of the available fields. This XML will be parsed and integrated into the existing XML tree. During this process, feedgen is vulnerable to XML Denial of Service Attacks (e.g. XML Bomb). This becomes a concern in particular if feedgen is used to include content from untrused sources and if XML (including XHTML) is directly included instead of providing plain tex content only. This problem has been fixed in feedgen 0.9.0 which disallows XML entity expansion and external resources.

Products
Not specified
Affected versions
Not specified
Fixed versions
Not specified
CVEs
CVE-2020-5227
Confirmed fixed CVEs
Not specified
Updated in this feed
31 Oct 2026, 11:29 UTC · Revision 1

Source evidence

CVE-2020-5227

core-osv · Original source

Published 28 Jan 2020, 23:15 UTC

Feedgen (python feedgen) before 0.9.0 is susceptible to XML Denial of Service attacks. The *feedgen* library allows supplying XML as content for some of the available fields. This XML will be parsed and integrated into the existing XML tree. During this process, feedgen is vulnerable to XML Denial of Service Attacks (e.g. XML Bomb). This becomes a concern in particular if feedgen is used to include content from untrused sources and if XML (including XHTML) is directly included instead of providing plain tex content only. This problem has been fixed in feedgen 0.9.0 which disallows XML entity expansion and external resources.

osv:CVE-2020-5227
Complete source record
{
  "id": "7a24192d9eb1956d0b1a74898ab1e920c498ba462e54c21e76478e561dd7dbf2",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-5227",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "CVE-2020-5227",
    "summary": "Feedgen (python feedgen) before 0.9.0 is susceptible to XML Denial of Service attacks. The *feedgen* library allows supplying XML as content for some of the available fields. This XML will be parsed and integrated into the existing XML tree. During this process, feedgen is vulnerable to XML Denial of Service Attacks (e.g. XML Bomb). This becomes a concern in particular if feedgen is used to include content from untrused sources and if XML (including XHTML) is directly included instead of providing plain tex content only. This problem has been fixed in feedgen 0.9.0 which disallows XML entity expansion and external resources.",
    "evidence": "osv:CVE-2020-5227",
    "products": [],
    "severity": "high",
    "structured": {
      "id": "CVE-2020-5227",
      "aliases": [
        "CVE-2020-5227",
        "GHSA-g8q7-xv52-hf9f",
        "PYSEC-2020-231"
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "type": "CVSS_V3",
          "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
        }
      ],
      "affected": [
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "repo": "https://github.com/lkiesow/python-feedgen",
              "type": "GIT",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "ffe3e4d752ac76e23c879c35682c310c2b1ccb86"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "f57a01b20fa4aaaeccfa417f28e66b4084b9d0cf"
                }
              ],
              "database_specific": {
                "extracted_events": [
                  {
                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:feedgen_project:feedgen:*:*:*:*:*:python:*:*",
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "introduced": "0"
                      },
                      {
                        "fixed": "0.9.0"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_RANGE"
                  },
                  {
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "fixed": "f57a01b20fa4aaaeccfa417f28e66b4084b9d0cf"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "REFERENCES_COMMIT"
                  }
                ]
              }
            }
          ],
          "versions": [
            "v0.8.0",
            "v0.7.0",
            "v0.6.1",
            "v0.6.0",
            "v0.5.1",
            "v0.5.0",
            "v0.4.1",
            "v0.4.0",
            "v0.3.2",
            "v0.3.1",
            "v0.3.0",
            "v0.2.8",
            "v0.2.7",
            "v0.2.6",
            "v0.2.5",
            "v0.2.4",
            "v0.2.3",
            "v0.2.2",
            "v0.2.1",
            "v0.2",
            "v0.1"
          ],
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2020-5227.json"
          }
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-20T10:54:22.512700843Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
        "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/T6I5ENUYGFNMIH6ZQ62FZ6VU2WD3SIOI/",
        "https://github.com/lkiesow/python-feedgen/security/advisories/GHSA-g8q7-xv52-hf9f",
        "https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/msdn-magazine/2009/november/xml-denial-of-service-attacks-and-defenses",
        "https://github.com/lkiesow/python-feedgen/commit/f57a01b20fa4aaaeccfa417f28e66b4084b9d0cf"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {}
    },
    "related_cves": [
      {
        "value": "CVE-2020-5227",
        "evidence": "/id"
      }
    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 385235,
  "published_at": "2020-01-28T23:15:12.67+00:00"
}