veraPDF-validatio: Use of Default DocumentBuilderFactory leads to XXE When Processing Untrusted PDFs

Exploitation

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

CVSS

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

EPSS

• CVE-2026-54082: 0.40% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 33.74 (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.

Summary veraPDF-validation has an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in two PDF parsing paths (validate and GFPDAcroForm.getdynamicRender()). A malicious/crafted PDF supplied to a veraPDF consumer can lead to the expansion of external entities while parsing rich-text annotation/form-field values or XFA configurations, allowing local file disclosure and potentially outbound network requests depending on the runtime (host) environment. Details Consumers that utilise either the PDFAValidator.validate(...) or GFPDAcroForm(acroForm).getdynamicRender() APIs to process untrusted PDFs are vulnerable to XXE exploits. Both vulnerable paths share the same root cause: the underlying source binds a default DocumentBuilderFactory and immediately calls newDocumentBuilder() which does not disable parsing of DTDs, external entities, XInclude, or external resource access directives in XML schemas. This is an XXE vulnerability affecting applications that use veraPDF's affected APIs to parse or…

Published by the source

29 Jul 2026, 15:14 UTC

Last modified by the source

29 Jul 2026, 15:41 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 16:54 UTC

1. Revision 2 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-cg9x-g3gm-h5h6

2. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-cg9x-g3gm-h5h6

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-54082

Advisory: veraPDF-validatio: Use of Default `DocumentBuilderFactory` leads to XXE When Processing Untrusted PDFs
IDs: CVE-2026-54082, GHSA-cg9x-g3gm-h5h6
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-54082 (revision 2, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 16:54 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 6.5)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: org.verapdf:validation-model 1.31.71, 1.30.2; org.verapdf:validation-model-jakarta 1.31.71, 1.30.2. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Maven org.verapdf:validation-model: affected >= 1.17.35, <= 1.30.1; >= 1.31.1, <= 1.31.70; fixed in 1.30.2, 1.31.71
- Maven org.verapdf:validation-model-jakarta: affected >= 1.17.35, <= 1.30.1; >= 1.31.1, <= 1.31.70; fixed in 1.30.2, 1.31.71

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Maven org.verapdf:validation-model: check the installed version with your package manager.
- Maven org.verapdf:validation-model-jakarta: 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.verapdf:validation-model, org.verapdf:validation-model-jakarta.
- 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://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-cg9x-g3gm-h5h6 (OSV record GHSA-cg9x-g3gm-h5h6 lists affected ranges: Maven org.verapdf:validation-model >=1.17.35 =1.31.1 =1.17.35 =1.31.1 <1.31.71 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-cg9x-g3gm-h5h6 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-cg9x-g3gm-h5h6 lists affected ranges: Maven org.verapdf:validation-model >=1.17.35 =1.31.1 =1.17.35 =1.31.1 <=1.31.70)

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