CVE-2021-31811: Uncontrolled memory consumption in Apache PDFBox
Summary
CVE-2021-31811: Uncontrolled memory consumption. Affects org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox versions >= 2.0.0, < 2.0.24. Fixed in 2.0.24. How to fix ↓
Also tracked for
- libpdfbox-java · Debian:11
The same CVE-2021-31811 is tracked separately for each ecosystem and vendor. Its fix information is the same; the package and affected versions differ.
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Background
Apache PDFBox is an open-source Java library for working with PDF documents. It provides functionality for creating, manipulating, and extracting content from PDF files. The library is widely used in various applications and frameworks that deal with PDF documents. However, versions 2.0.23 and prior of Apache PDFBox are vulnerable to uncontrolled memory consumption.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in Apache PDFBox arises from a flaw that allows a specially crafted PDF file to trigger an OutOfMemory-Exception during the file loading process. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by enticing a user to open a malicious PDF file, leading to excessive memory consumption and potentially causing the application to crash or become unresponsive. This vulnerability has a CVSS score of 5.5, indicating a moderate severity level.
How To Fix
Minimum fixed version
2.0.24
This is the first release that contains the fix.
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Workaround
There is no known workaround for this vulnerability. It is essential to apply the official fix by upgrading to the latest version of Apache PDFBox.
Conclusion
The uncontrolled memory consumption vulnerability in Apache PDFBox can be mitigated by upgrading to the latest version of the library. It is recommended for developers and users to update their dependencies to ensure they are using a patched version. For further support on vulnerability remediation, contact DevNack.com.
See every vulnerability recorded for org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox →
FAQ
Apache PDFBox is a Java library for working with PDF documents. It provides functionality for creating, manipulating, and extracting content from PDF files.
This vulnerability can lead to uncontrolled memory consumption, potentially causing the application to crash or become unresponsive.
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by enticing a user to open a specially crafted PDF file, triggering excessive memory consumption.
This vulnerability has a CVSS score of 5.5, indicating a moderate severity level.
No, there is no known workaround. It is crucial to apply the official fix by upgrading to the latest version of Apache PDFBox.
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