Apache PDFBox has Path Traversal through PDComplexFileSpecification.getFilename() function

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

5.3 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

EPSS

• CVE-2026-23907: 0.90% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 59.75 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

This issue affects the ExtractEmbeddedFiles example in Apache PDFBox: from 2.0.24 through 2.0.35, from 3.0.0 through 3.0.6. The ExtractEmbeddedFiles example contains a path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) because the filename that is obtained from PDComplexFileSpecification.getFilename() is appended to the extraction path. Users who have copied this example into their production code should review it to ensure that the extraction path is acceptable. The example has been changed accordingly, now the initial path and the extraction paths are converted into canonical paths and it is verified that extraction path contains the initial path. The documentation has also been adjusted.

Published by the source

10 Mar 2026, 18:31 UTC

Last modified by the source

11 Mar 2026, 18:13 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 16:44 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-jjwr-xmw6-gf78

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-23907

Advisory: Apache PDFBox has Path Traversal through PDComplexFileSpecification.getFilename() function
IDs: CVE-2026-23907, GHSA-jjwr-xmw6-gf78
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-23907 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 16:44 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 5.3)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox-examples 3.0.7. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Maven org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox-examples: affected >= 2.0.24, < 3.0.7; fixed in 3.0.7

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Maven org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox-examples: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox-examples.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-jjwr-xmw6-gf78 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-jjwr-xmw6-gf78 lists affected ranges: Maven org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox-examples >=2.0.24 <3.0.7)

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