CVE-2016-2175: High severity apache pdfbox vulnerability

Published May 27, 2016
·
Updated

Apache PDFBox before 1.8.12 and 2.x before 2.0.1 does not properly initialize the XML parsers, which allows context-dependent attackers to conduct XML External Entity (XXE) attacks via a crafted PDF.

Other sources

Apache PDFBox could allow a remote authenticated attacker to obtain sensitive information, caused by a XML external entity (XXE) error when processing XML data by the XML parser. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to read arbitrary files on the system or cause a denial of service.

IBM

Apache PDFBox parses different XML data within PDF files such as XMP and the initialization of the XML parsers did not protect against XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerabilities.

References:

http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2016/q2/419

Affected Software

19 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/pdfbox<1.8.12
1.8.12
redhat/pdfbox<2.0.1
2.0.1
Apache PDFBox=1.8.0
Apache PDFBox=1.8.1
Apache PDFBox=1.8.2
Apache PDFBox=1.8.3
Apache PDFBox=1.8.4
Apache PDFBox=1.8.5
Apache PDFBox=1.8.6
Apache PDFBox=1.8.7
Apache PDFBox=1.8.8
Apache PDFBox=1.8.9
Apache PDFBox=1.8.10
Apache PDFBox=1.8.11
Apache PDFBox=2.0
Apache PDFBox=2.0-rc1
Apache PDFBox=2.0-rc2
Apache PDFBox=2.0-rc3
Debian Debian Linux=8.0

Event History

Jun 1, 2016
CVE Published
via MITRE·08:00 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·08:00 PM
Description
Jun 1, 2020
Data Sourced
via IBM·12:00 AM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2016-2175?

CVE-2016-2175 is a vulnerability in Apache PDFBox before 1.8.12 and 2.x before 2.0.1 that allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information or cause a denial of service.

2

How does CVE-2016-2175 affect Apache PDFBox?

CVE-2016-2175 affects Apache PDFBox versions before 1.8.12 and 2.x before 2.0.1, allowing a remote attacker to read arbitrary files on the system or cause a denial of service.

3

What is the severity of CVE-2016-2175?

CVE-2016-2175 has a severity rating of 7.8 (High).

4

How can I fix CVE-2016-2175?

To fix CVE-2016-2175, update Apache PDFBox to version 1.8.12 or 2.0.1.

5

Where can I find more information about CVE-2016-2175?

More information about CVE-2016-2175 can be found at the following references: [http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2016/q2/419](http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2016/q2/419), [https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi/show_bug.cgi?id=1340397](https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi/show_bug.cgi?id=1340397), [https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0179.html](https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0179.html)

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CVE-2016-2175 - High severity apache pdfbox vulnerability - SecAlerts