CVE-2026-44022: Docling Path Traversal Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2j5p-7p5m-cvqr
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CVSS 5.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-44022 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Docling libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves potential path traversal via latex \includegraphics and \input commands. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.91.0.

CVE-2026-44022 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-44022
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2j5p-7p5m-cvqr
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.5
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Docling
Package Ecosystem PyPI
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:H/I:N/A:N).

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 High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2026-44022

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

docling fixed: 2.91.0 
pip install docling>=2.91.0
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

pip show docling

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2026-44022, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show docling

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Docling in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.91.0), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show docling command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

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 Docling, 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

### Impact The LaTeX backend's handling of `\includegraphics`, `\input`, and `\include` commands lacked path containment validation. Attackers could craft malicious LaTeX documents with path traversal sequences (e.g., `../../../etc/passwd`) to: - Read arbitrary files from the file system accessible to the process - Include sensitive files in the converted document output - Potentially access configuration files, credentials, or other sensitive data ### Patches Fixed in version 2.91.0. The fix implements strict path validation using `Path.resolve().is_relative_to()` to ensure all resolved paths remain within the base document directory. Attempts to traverse outside the base directory are logged and blocked. ### Workarounds Avoid processing untrusted LaTeX documents. If processing is necessary, run in a sandboxed environment with restricted file system access. ### References - Fix release: [v2.91.0](https://github.com/docling-project/docling/releases/tag/v2.91.0)

CVE-2026-44022 Affected Docling Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.91.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
docling
pypi/docling
PyPI
≥ 2.73.0
< 2.91.0
2.91.0

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/docling-project/docling/security/advisories/GHSA-2j5p-7p5m-cvqr
NVD — CVE-2026-44022 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44022
Docling Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/docling-project/docling
Docling Release RELEASE
https://github.com/docling-project/docling/releases/tag/v2.91.0
Docling Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/docling/PYSEC-2026-2145.yaml

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-44022?
CVE-2026-44022 is a security vulnerability in Docling involving Potential Path Traversal via LaTeX \includegraphics and \input Commands under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Docling versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.91.0 across affected packages: docling.
What version fixes CVE-2026-44022?
Upgrading to 2.91.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is docling affected?
Yes, docling is affected in releases prior to 2.91.0. Upgrade your dependency to 2.91.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-44022?
CVE-2026-44022 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:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-44022?
CVE-2026-44022 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 PyPI dependencies for CVE-2026-44022?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show docling'. 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-2j5p-7p5m-cvqr",
  "modified" : "2026-07-20T21:33:51Z",
  "published" : "2026-06-03T21:14:35Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-44022" ],
  "summary" : "Docling: Potential Path Traversal via LaTeX \\includegraphics and \\input Commands",
  "details" : "### Impact\nThe LaTeX backend's handling of `\\includegraphics`, `\\input`, and `\\include` commands lacked path containment validation. Attackers could craft malicious LaTeX documents with path traversal sequences (e.g., `../../../etc/passwd`) to:\n- Read arbitrary files from the file system accessible to the process\n- Include sensitive files in the converted document output\n- Potentially access configuration files, credentials, or other sensitive data\n\n### Patches\nFixed in version 2.91.0. The fix implements strict path validation using `Path.resolve().is_relative_to()` to ensure all resolved paths remain within the base document directory. Attempts to traverse outside the base directory are logged and blocked.\n\n### Workarounds\nAvoid processing untrusted LaTeX documents. If processing is necessary, run in a sandboxed environment with restricted file system access.\n\n### References\n- Fix release: [v2.91.0](https://github.com/docling-project/docling/releases/tag/v2.91.0)",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "docling"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.73.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.91.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/docling-project/docling/security/advisories/GHSA-2j5p-7p5m-cvqr"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-44022"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/docling-project/docling"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/docling-project/docling/releases/tag/v2.91.0"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/docling/PYSEC-2026-2145.yaml"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-06-03T21:14:35Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-06-24T18:17:17Z"
  }
}