CVE-2021-28657: Tika Infinite Loop Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-567x-m4wm-87v8
Share
CVSS 5.5
CWE-400 CWE-835
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-28657 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.5) infinite loop vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Tika libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves infinite loop in apache tika. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.26.

CVE-2021-28657 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-28657
GHSA Identifier GHSA-567x-m4wm-87v8
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.5
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Tika
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-28657

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Tika dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.apache.tika:tika fixed: 1.26 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.tika</groupId>
    <artifactId>tika</artifactId>
    <version>1.26</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.tika

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-28657, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.tika

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Tika in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.26), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.tika command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In Tika, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

A carefully crafted or corrupt file may trigger an infinite loop in Tika's MP3Parser up to and including Tika 1.25. Apache Tika users should upgrade to 1.26 or later.

CVE-2021-28657 Affected Tika Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.26
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.tika:tika
maven/org.apache.tika/tika
Maven
< 1.26
1.26

References

NVD — CVE-2021-28657 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-28657
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r4cbc3f... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r4cbc3f6981cd0a1a482531df9d44e4c42a7f63342a7ba78b7bff8a1b@%3Cnotifications.james.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r915add... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r915add4aa52c60d1b5cf085039cfa73a98d7fae9673374dfd7744b5a%40%3Cdev.tika.apache.org%3E
Tika Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210507-0004
Tika Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html
Tika Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-28657?
CVE-2021-28657 is a security vulnerability in Tika involving Infinite loop in Apache Tika under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Tika versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.26 across affected packages: org.apache.tika:tika.
What version fixes CVE-2021-28657?
Upgrading to 1.26 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is tika affected?
Yes, org.apache.tika:tika is affected in releases prior to 1.26. Upgrade your dependency to 1.26 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-28657?
CVE-2021-28657 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-28657?
CVE-2021-28657 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-28657?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.tika'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-567x-m4wm-87v8",
  "modified" : "2022-04-22T15:50:03Z",
  "published" : "2021-05-10T15:23:25Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-28657" ],
  "summary" : "Infinite loop in Apache Tika",
  "details" : "A carefully crafted or corrupt file may trigger an infinite loop in Tika's MP3Parser up to and including Tika 1.25. Apache Tika users should upgrade to 1.26 or later.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.tika:tika"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.26"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "< 1.25"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-28657"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r4cbc3f6981cd0a1a482531df9d44e4c42a7f63342a7ba78b7bff8a1b@%3Cnotifications.james.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r915add4aa52c60d1b5cf085039cfa73a98d7fae9673374dfd7744b5a%40%3Cdev.tika.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210507-0004"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400", "CWE-835" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-01T00:18:03Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-03-31T08:15:00Z"
  }
}