CVE-2012-2098: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption in Apache Commons Compress

org.apache.commons:commons-compress Updated 02 Oct 2025

Summary

13/05/2022

Disclosed on

CVE-2012-2098

CVE

Yes i

Fix available

Moderate

Severity

Not published

CVSS Score

CVE-2012-2098: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption in Apache Commons Compress. Affects org.apache.commons:commons-compress versions < 1.4.1. Fixed in 1.4.1. How to fix ↓

Also tracked for

libcommons-compress-java · Debian:11

The same CVE-2012-2098 is tracked separately for each ecosystem and vendor. Its fix information is the same; the package and affected versions differ.

Free scan

Check if this vulnerability affects your application

Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.

Check my app free

No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds

Upload your dependency manifest or SBOM

Drag & drop your file here or Browse

Java Javascript PHP Python Go Rust Ruby Dart C/C++ Elixir CycloneDX SPDX

Upload a supported dependency manifest or SBOM. No installation or source-code access required.

See supported files and SBOM formats

SBOM sbom.json · bom.json · bom.xml · *.spdx.json · *.cdx.json · *.cdx.xml

Java pom.xml · gradle.lockfile · buildscript-gradle.lockfile

Javascript package-lock.json · yarn.lock · pnpm-lock.yaml

PHP composer.lock

Python poetry.lock · requirements.txt · Pipfile.lock

Go go.mod

Rust Cargo.lock

Ruby Gemfile.lock

Dart pubspec.lock

C/C++ conan.lock

Elixir mix.lock

Enter your work email to receive your report link.

Verify your email to view the full report and start 30 days of continuous monitoring. No credit card required.

Background

Apache Commons Compress is a Java library that provides support for working with various compression and archive formats. It offers classes and methods for compressing and decompressing data in formats like ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2, and more. This vulnerability affects versions of Apache Commons Compress prior to 1.4.1.

Vulnerability Detail

The vulnerability, identified as CVE-2012-2098, is an algorithmic complexity issue in the sorting algorithms used by the bzip2 compressing stream (BZip2CompressorOutputStream) in Apache Commons Compress. It allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) by providing a file with many repeating inputs. This can result in excessive resource usage and impact the availability of the affected system.

How To Fix

Minimum fixed version

1.4.1

This is the first release that contains the fix.

Tip — Not sure which version your app runs? Vulert can match this fix to it. Scan free →

Workaround

There is no known workaround for this vulnerability. It is essential to apply the fix by upgrading to the patched version of Apache Commons Compress.

Conclusion

The vulnerability in Apache Commons Compress prior to version 1.4.1 can lead to a denial of service condition due to excessive CPU consumption. It is recommended to upgrade to the patched version to mitigate this vulnerability. For further support and assistance in vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.

See every vulnerability recorded for org.apache.commons:commons-compress →