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.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apache Software Foundation | Apache Tika | 0.1 to 1.18 | — |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 11 | tika | 1.20-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | tika | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | tika | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | tika | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | tika | No fix yet | — |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | apache-mybatis | 3.2.3-3.3.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | cobbler | 2.6.6-6.10.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | hadoop | 0.18.1-3.3.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | lucene | 2.4.1-4.3.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | nekohtml | 1.9.21-3.3.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | nutch-core | 1.0.1-7.10.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | picocontainer | 1.3.7-3.3.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | python-susemanager-retail | 1.0.1542643545.8752d17-2.6.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | salt-netapi-client | 0.15.0-4.3.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | saltboot-formula +1 | 0.1.1542287363.b8aa274-3.6.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | spacecmd | 2.8.25.7-3.9.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | spacewalk-branding | 2.8.5.12-3.10.4 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | spacewalk-config | 2.8.5.5-3.10.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | spacewalk-java | 2.8.78.13-3.13.1 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | spacewalk-search | 2.8.3.7-3.12.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | spacewalk-setup | 2.8.7.5-3.10.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | spacewalk-utils | 2.8.18.3-3.3.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | spacewalk-web | 2.8.7.11-3.13.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | susemanager | 3.2.14-3.13.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | susemanager-docs_en | 3.2-11.12.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | susemanager-frontend-libs | 3.2.4-3.7.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | susemanager-schema | 3.2.15-3.13.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | susemanager-sls | 3.2.18-3.13.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | susemanager-sync-data | 3.2.10-3.9.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 3.2 | tika-core | 1.19.1-3.3.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 3.2 | spacewalk-web | 2.8.7.11-3.13.3 | SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1, SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
GitHub 1 repository
-
brianwrf/CVE-2018-11761 ★ 9 · Jan 23, 2019
Apache Tika Denial of Service Vulnerability (CVE-2018-11761)
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maven | org.apache.tika:tika-core | >= 0.1, < 1.19.1 | 1.19.1 | GHSA-6jq2-789q-fff2 |
Advisories 2
- SUSE-RU-2018:4018-1 Security update for SUSE Manager Server 3.2 SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2018:4011-1 Security update for SUSE Manager Server 3.2 SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
References
- 105514 vdb-entry
- [tika-dev] 20180919 [CVE-2018-11761] Apache Tika DoS XML Entity Expansion Vulnerability mailing-list
- [lucene-solr-user] 20190104 Re: SOLR v7 Security Issues Caused Denial of Use - Sonatype Application Composition Report mailing-list
- https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuapr2019-5072813.html