CVE-2018-11762: Tika core Tika-core Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-w6g3-v46q-5p28
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CVSS 5.9
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-11762 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.9) tika-core vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Tika core libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves tika-core. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.19.

CVE-2018-11762 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-11762
GHSA Identifier GHSA-w6g3-v46q-5p28
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.9
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Tika core
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.9

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2018-11762

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Tika core 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-core fixed: 1.19 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.tika</groupId>
    <artifactId>tika-core</artifactId>
    <version>1.19</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-2018-11762, 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 core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.19), 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-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Tika core, 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

In Apache Tika 0.9 to 1.18, in a rare edge case where a user does not specify an extract directory on the commandline (--extract-dir=) and the input file has an embedded file with an absolute path, such as "C:/evil.bat", tika-app would overwrite that file.

CVE-2018-11762 Affected Tika core Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.19
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.tika:tika-core
maven/org.apache.tika/tika-core
Maven
≥ 0.9
< 1.19
1.19

References

NVD — CVE-2018-11762 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-11762
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-w6g3-v46q-5p28
lists.apache.org/thread.html/ab2e1af... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ab2e1af38975f5fc462ba89b517971ef892ec3d06bee12ea2258895b@%3Cdev.tika.apache.org%3E
Tika core Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105515

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-11762?
CVE-2018-11762 is a security vulnerability in Tika core involving tika-core under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Tika core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.19 across affected packages: org.apache.tika:tika-core.
What version fixes CVE-2018-11762?
Upgrading to 1.19 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is tika-core affected?
Yes, org.apache.tika:tika-core is affected in releases prior to 1.19. Upgrade your dependency to 1.19 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-11762?
CVE-2018-11762 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.9 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-11762?
CVE-2018-11762 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-11762?
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-w6g3-v46q-5p28",
  "modified" : "2021-09-21T17:58:38Z",
  "published" : "2018-10-17T15:49:58Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-11762" ],
  "summary" : "Moderate severity vulnerability that affects org.apache.tika:tika-core",
  "details" : "In Apache Tika 0.9 to 1.18, in a rare edge case where a user does not specify an extract directory on the commandline (--extract-dir=) and the input file has an embedded file with an absolute path, such as \"C:/evil.bat\", tika-app would overwrite that file.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.tika:tika-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0.9"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.19"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-11762"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-w6g3-v46q-5p28"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ab2e1af38975f5fc462ba89b517971ef892ec3d06bee12ea2258895b@%3Cdev.tika.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105515"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:59:47Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}