Apache PDFBox has Path Traversal through PDComplexFileSpecification.getFilename() function
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.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox-examples | >= 2.0.24, < 3.0.7 | 3.0.7 |
References
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-22- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox-examples- Disclosed
- 10.03.2026
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 13:20
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-jjwr-xmw6-gf78 - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox-examples
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Java / Kotlin (Maven)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 2
- First → latest
- 03.2026 04.2026
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Medium 2
Disclosures per year
- 2026: 2
-
Apache PDFBox has Path Traversal through PDComplexFileSpecification.getFilename() function this entry
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