GHSA-c9jj-3wvg-q65h — pdfbox
CRITICALGHSA-c9jj-3wvg-q65h is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox. A fix is available for org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Vulnerability that affects org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-c9jj-3wvg-q65h plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 379,145 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.pdfbox:pdfboxReal-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 2.0.14 does not properly initialize the XML parser, which allows context-dependent attackers to conduct XML External Entity (XXE) attacks via a crafted XFDF.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox | ≥ 2.0.14&&< 2.0.15 | 2.0.15org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox:2.0.15 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
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 2.0.15 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-c9jj-3wvg-q65h 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.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-c9jj-3wvg-q65h can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-c9jj-3wvg-q65h. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-c9jj-3wvg-q65h in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-c9jj-3wvg-q65h across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.