How severe is GHSA-4c32-xmgj-2g98?

GHSA-4c32-xmgj-2g98 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by GHSA-4c32-xmgj-2g98?

GHSA-4c32-xmgj-2g98 affects the following packages: org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox (Maven), org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix GHSA-4c32-xmgj-2g98?

Update org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox to 1.8.12 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-4c32-xmgj-2g98 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect GHSA-4c32-xmgj-2g98 in my Maven dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate GHSA-4c32-xmgj-2g98 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

Is GHSA-4c32-xmgj-2g98 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for GHSA-4c32-xmgj-2g98 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for GHSA-4c32-xmgj-2g98?

GHSA-4c32-xmgj-2g98 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 3.8%, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

When was GHSA-4c32-xmgj-2g98 published, and has it been updated?

GHSA-4c32-xmgj-2g98 was published on October 17, 2018 and was last updated on November 8, 2023. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

☕

☕ Maven

Not in CISA KEV

HIGH severity

High severity vulnerability that affects org.apache.pdfbox:pdfboxGHSA-4c32-xmgj-2g98

HIGH

GHSA-4c32-xmgj-2g98 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.8) vulnerability in org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox. A fix is available for org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Also known asCVE-2016-2175

Published

Oct 17, 2018

Updated

Nov 8, 2023

Affected

2 pkgs

Patched

2 / 2

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Nov 9, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

3.8%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs90th percentile — riskier than 90% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

2 pkgs affected

☕org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox☕org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

Apache PDFBox before 1.8.12 and 2.x before 2.0.1 does not properly initialize the XML parsers, which allows context-dependent attackers to conduct XML External Entity (XXE) attacks via a crafted PDF.

Affected Packages

2 total 2 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox`	all versions	1.8.12`org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox:1.8.12`
☕Maven	`org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox`	≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.0.1	2.0.1`org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox:2.0.1`

Affected Products

2 products · 17 configurations

Application

pdfboxapache

13 versions

1.8.01.8.11.8.21.8.31.8.41.8.51.8.61.8.71.8.81.8.91.8.101.8.11

debian linuxdebian

1 version

8.0

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox to 1.8.12 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-4c32-xmgj-2g98 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

Fixing This On Your OS

If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.

Red HatModerate

Product	Fixed in	Advisory
Red Hat JBoss A-MQ 6.3	see advisory	RHSA-2017:0179
Red Hat JBoss BPMS 6.4	see advisory	RHSA-2017:0249
Red Hat JBoss BRMS 6.4	see advisory	RHSA-2017:0248
Red Hat JBoss Data Virtualization 6.3	`pdfbox`	RHSA-2017:0272

Frequently Asked Questions

Apache PDFBox before 1.8.12 and 2.x before 2.0.1 does not properly initialize the XML parsers, which allows context-dependent attackers to conduct XML External Entity (XXE) attacks via a crafted PDF.

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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