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CVE-2018-11761 Apache Tika

Affected softwareApache Tika
Severity7.5 High CVSS 3.0 2 scores
Fixed in1.19.1
WeaknessXML external entity (XXE) (CWE-611)
Published19 Sep 2018
Updated17 Jun 2026

Description

In Apache Tika 0.1 to 1.18, the XML parsers were not configured to limit entity expansion. They were therefore vulnerable to an entity expansion vulnerability which can lead to a denial of service attack.

Exploitation status

Proof of concept only

A proof of concept exists, but no reviewed exploit catalogue lists this CVE.

  • CISA KEV not listed
  • VulnCheck KEV not listed
  • CISA Vulnrichment no assessment published
  • Indexed PoC 1 indexed Published artifacts you can open, in GitHub PoC; first seen 2019-01-23.
  • EPSS 9.5% chance in 30 days
IndexArtifactStarsFirst seen
GitHub PoC Apache Tika Denial of Service Vulnerability (CVE-2018-11761) 9 2019-01-23

Waratek protection

Protected by Waratek

Waratek has a rule that blocks attacks on this vulnerability.

  • Protection full XXE
  • Action available security rule
  • Review automated Inferred
  • Record active
Decided by A vulnerability class already blocked by an ARMR security rule
Finding Protected by Waratek's ARMR xxe security rule, which blocks this class of attack at the JVM level without a rule written for this CVE specifically. The CVE's weakness is CWE-611: XML External Entity Reference.

How to mitigate CVE-2018-11761

Upgrade Apache Tika to 1.19.1 or later. Until you can, Waratek RASP blocks exploitation with its XXE rule. It runs inside the Java application, with no code changes.

Waratek RASP Runtime protection for Java applications

CVSS

7.5 HIGH v3.0 CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H 2 metrics

We show the highest score from the newest CVSS version. Scores from different versions can't be compared, and the first score listed is sometimes a 0.0 placeholder.

VersionScoreBandVectorAssignerType
CVSS 3.0 7.5 HIGH CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H NVD Primary published
CVSS 2.0 5.0 none AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P NVD Primary

Affected software and releases

Oracle advisories

AdvisoryTypeQuarterProducts Oracle names in its risk matrix
Oracle Critical Patch Update April 2019 ↗ CPU 2019-Q2 Oracle Fusion Middleware / Runtime Engine (Apache Tika) (12.1.3.0.0, 12.2.1.3.0)

Oracle components and versions

FamilyComponentVersions, as Oracle lists themRead as
Oracle Fusion Middleware Runtime Engine (Apache Tika) 12.1.3.0.0, 12.2.1.3.0 12.1.3.0.0 · 12.2.1.3.0

Maven packages

Affected and fixed versions, from OSV.dev
PackageIntroducedFixedLast affected
org.apache.tika:tika-core 0.1 1.19.1 unbounded

Products and versions

3 products, 4 version entries
SourceVendorProductSchemeAffected versions
nvd apache tika generic ≥ 0.1 and ≤ 1.18
nvd oracle business process management suite generic 12.1.3.0.0 · 12.2.1.3.0
osv org.apache.tika tika-core generic ≥ 0.1 and < 1.19.1

References

URLTags
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-6jq2-789q-fff2 ADVISORY
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/5553e10bba5604117967466618f219c0cae710075819c70cfb3fb421@%3Cdev.tika.apache.org%3E WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/708d94141126eac03011144a971a6411fcac16d9c248d1d535a39451@%3Csolr-user.lucene.apache.org%3E WEB
https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuapr2019-5072813.html WEB
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105514 WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/5553e10bba5604117967466618f219c0cae710075819c70cfb3fb421%40%3Cdev.tika.apache.org%3E
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/708d94141126eac03011144a971a6411fcac16d9c248d1d535a39451%40%3Csolr-user.lucene.apache.org%3E

Timeline

Published2018-09-19By the CVE Program.
NVD record modified2026-06-17NVD's own last-modified date for this record.