CVE-2016-4434 Apache Tika does not properly initialize the XML parser or choose handlers
Remote attackers can exploit XML External Entity vulnerabilities in Apache Tika to read sensitive files or cause denial of service via crafted documents.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2016-4434?
CVE-2016-4434 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 29 Sep 2017. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
Apache Tika before 1.13 does not properly initialize the XML parser or choose handlers, which might allow remote attackers to conduct XML External Entity (XXE) attacks via vectors involving (1) spreadsheets in OOXML files and (2) XMP metadata in PDF and other file formats, a related issue to CVE-2016-2175.
Weakness: CWE-611
Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-4434?
2 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.apache.tika:tika-core. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
org.apache.tika:tika-core Maven | All versions | 1.13 |
org.apache.tika:tika-core Maven | All versions | 1.13 |
Products include Apache Tika.
How do I fix CVE-2016-4434?
Upgrade org.apache.tika:tika-core to 1.13 or later.
Is CVE-2016-4434 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-4434 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in n/a
- CVE-2019-10088 Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling in Apache Tika
- CVE-2025-66516 Apache Tika has XXE vulnerability
- CVE-2025-54988 Apache Tika PDF parser module: XXE vulnerability in PDFParser's handling of XFA
- CVE-2018-1335 Command injection in org.apache.tika:tika-core
- CVE-2019-10094 Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling in Apache Tika
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2016-4434, GHSA-4xr4-4c65-hj7f, UBUNTU-CVE-2016-4434.