CVE-2018-11761 High severity vulnerability that affects org.apache.tika:tika-core
High 7.5
Published
Updated
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-11761 and fix it if it is affected.
What it is: CVE-2018-11761 is a high-severity vulnerability in Apache Tika, published on 19 Sep 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-11761 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Affected packages and fixed versions:
- org.apache.tika:tika-core (Maven): affected from 0.1; fixed in 1.19.1
- org.apache.tika:tika-core (Maven): affected from 0.1; fixed in 1.19.1
Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.
Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-11761/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-11761/index.md)
Attackers can cause denial of service in Apache Tika by exploiting XML entity expansion vulnerabilities in its parsers.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2018-11761?
CVE-2018-11761 is a high-severity vulnerability in Apache Tika, published on 19 Sep 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In Apache Tika 0.1 to 1.18, the XML parsers were not configured to limit entity expansion. They were therefore vulnerable to an entity expansion vulnerability which can lead to a denial of service attack.
Weakness: CWE-611
Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-11761?
2 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.apache.tika:tika-core. It affects 2 products.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
org.apache.tika:tika-core Maven | From 0.1 | 1.19.1 |
org.apache.tika:tika-core Maven | From 0.1 | 1.19.1 |
Linux distribution packages (38)
spacewalk-web SUSE:Manager Proxy 3.2 | All versions | 2.8.7.11-3.13.3 |
spacewalk-web SUSE:Manager Proxy 3.2 | All versions | 2.8.7.11-3.13.3 |
apache-mybatis SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 3.2.3-3.3.3 |
apache-mybatis SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 3.2.3-3.3.3 |
cobbler SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.6.6-6.10.3 |
cobbler SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.6.6-6.10.3 |
hadoop SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 0.18.1-3.3.3 |
hadoop SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 0.18.1-3.3.3 |
image-sync-formula SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 0.1.1542287363.b8aa274-3.6.3 |
image-sync-formula SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 0.1.1542287363.b8aa274-3.6.3 |
lucene SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.4.1-4.3.3 |
lucene SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.4.1-4.3.3 |
nekohtml SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 1.9.21-3.3.3 |
nekohtml SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 1.9.21-3.3.3 |
nutch-core SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 1.0.1-7.10.3 |
nutch-core SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 1.0.1-7.10.3 |
picocontainer SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 1.3.7-3.3.3 |
picocontainer SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 1.3.7-3.3.3 |
python-susemanager-retail SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 1.0.1542643545.8752d17-2.6.3 |
python-susemanager-retail SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 1.0.1542643545.8752d17-2.6.3 |
salt-netapi-client SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 0.15.0-4.3.3 |
salt-netapi-client SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 0.15.0-4.3.3 |
saltboot-formula SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 0.1.1542287363.b8aa274-3.6.3 |
saltboot-formula SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 0.1.1542287363.b8aa274-3.6.3 |
spacecmd SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.8.25.7-3.9.3 |
spacecmd SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.8.25.7-3.9.3 |
spacewalk-branding SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.8.5.12-3.10.4 |
spacewalk-branding SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.8.5.12-3.10.4 |
spacewalk-config SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.8.5.5-3.10.3 |
spacewalk-config SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.8.5.5-3.10.3 |
spacewalk-java SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.8.78.13-3.13.1 |
spacewalk-java SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.8.78.13-3.13.1 |
spacewalk-search SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.8.3.7-3.12.3 |
spacewalk-search SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.8.3.7-3.12.3 |
spacewalk-setup SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.8.7.5-3.10.3 |
spacewalk-setup SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.8.7.5-3.10.3 |
spacewalk-utils SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.8.18.3-3.3.3 |
spacewalk-utils SUSE:Manager Server 3.2 | All versions | 2.8.18.3-3.3.3 |
Products include Apache Tika, Oracle Business Process Management Suite.
How do I fix CVE-2018-11761?
Upgrade org.apache.tika:tika-core to 1.19.1 or later.
Is CVE-2018-11761 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-11761 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Public exploit code: 1 proofs of concept on GitHub.
Other vulnerabilities in Apache Tika
- 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-2018-11761, GHSA-6jq2-789q-fff2, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1, SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2018-11761.