MEDIUM CVSS 4.3
Published: 2026-04-14

CVE-2026-33929

apache pdfbox Security Advisory (CVE-2026-33929)
โ†— Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2026-33929 impacting apache pdfbox. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 4.3 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in Apache PDFBox Examples. This issue affects the ExtractEmbeddedFiles example in Apache PDFBox: from 2.0.24 through 2.0.36, from 3.0.0 through 3.0.7. Users are recommended to update to version 2.0.37 or 3.0.8 once available. Until then, they should apply the fix provided in GitHub PR 427. The ExtractEmbeddedFiles example contained a path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) mentioned in CVE-2026-23907. However the change in the releases 2.0.36 and 3.0.7 is flawed because it doesn't consider the file path separator. Because of that, a user having writing rights on /home/ABC could be victim to a malicious PDF resulting in a write attempt to any path starting withย /home/ABC, e.g.ย "/home/ABCDEF". Users who have copied this example into their production code should apply the mentioned change. The example has been changed accordingly and is available in the project repository.

๐Ÿ“Š CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
Low (PR:L)
Standard user access required
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
None (C:N)
No data confidentiality impact
Integrity
Low (I:L)
Partial data modification possible
Availability
None (A:N)
No system availability impact

๐ŸŽฏ Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product apache / pdfbox
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-22

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2026-33929 impacting apache pdfbox.

โšก Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2026-33929.yaml
id: cve-2026-33929

info:
  name: apache pdfbox - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2026-33929 affecting apache pdfbox.
    Evaluation: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in Apache PDFBox Examples.

This issue affects ...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2026-33929
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
    cvss-score: 4.3
    cve-id: CVE-2026-33929
    cwe-id: CWE-22
  tags: cve,cve-2026-33929,apache,pdfbox,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "pdfbox"
        part: body
๐Ÿ PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2026-33929.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2026-33929
# Target: apache pdfbox | CVSS: 4.3 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2026-33929 (apache pdfbox)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against apache pdfbox scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2026-33929.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2026-33929
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install pdfbox 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade pdfbox 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update pdfbox

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i pdfbox 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i pdfbox

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
โš ๏ธ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

๐Ÿ”— Verified Technical References

โ“ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2026-33929 in apache pdfbox?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update apache pdfbox packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2026-33929?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2026-33929?

CVE-2026-33929 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 4.3 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
4.3
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2026-33929
Weakness CWE-22
Vendor apache
Product pdfbox
Published 2026-04-14
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N