On this page

OSSEC / HIDS Rule 67128

OSSEC / HIDS rule catalog

  • Rule family: OSSEC / HIDS
  • Rule ID: 67128
  • Definition status: Present in current source
  • Alert message / subject: XML parser error: Possible XML attack
  • Rule level: 11
  • Definition checked: 2026-10-21

Interpretation and response

This event is recorded as “XML parser error: Possible XML attack”. Review the originating log and the affected host or service to determine whether the activity was expected.

An OSSEC/HIDS event records or correlates activity. Blocking depends on the originating application and any separately configured Active Response policy; an alert alone does not prove that an attack was blocked.

Documentation

The following guidance was migrated from the historical wiki and reviewed against the rule definition. Legacy ASL product names and interface instructions refer to the versions documented then. Use the current metadata above and your installed configuration when interpreting thresholds, notification settings and response behavior.

This rule detects when an XML message or post has been sent to the server, and is so badly formated that the XML library can not parse it. There are a number of known attacks on XML parser libraries that send badly formated XML messages or posts and this rule detects when this occurs.

Source and revision

Migrated from HIDS_67128, wiki page 635, revision 5491 (20150716). Documentation review: 2026-10-21. An archived wiki status of Active is not a current deployment status.

For assistance, provide the rule ID, installed product and rule version, and a sanitized event to Atomicorp support .