# CVE-2018-11797: In Apache PDFBox a carefully crafted PDF file can trigger an extremely long running computation

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2018-11797-in-apache-pdfbox-a-carefully-crafted-pdf-file-can-trigger-an  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2018-10-17  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2018-11797 · Severity: low · CVSS 3.1 · Published 2018-10-17

In Apache PDFBox a carefully crafted PDF file can trigger an extremely long running computation

Technologies: [org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox (Maven)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/org-apache-pdfbox-pdfbox). Vendors: [Maven](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/maven).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2018-11797 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2018-11797 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2018-11797?** Low severity, with a CVSS score of 3.1, published 17 October 2018.

**Which products and versions are affected?** org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox (Maven) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=1.8.0,fixed=1.8.16.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2018-11797?** Yes. org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox (Maven): upgrade to 1.8.16 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**Am I affected by CVE-2018-11797?** Check whether you run org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox (Maven) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox (Maven): upgrade to 1.8.16 or later

  ```sh
  # set org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox to 1.8.16 in your pom.xml or build.gradle
  ```


## Affected products

- org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox (Maven) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=1.8.0,fixed=1.8.16

## Identifiers

- CVE-2018-11797
- GHSA-gx96-vgf7-hwfg

## Related threats

- [Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition in Apache PDFBox](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2018-8036-loop-with-unreachable-exit-condition-in-apache-pdfbox)
- [Excessive Iteration Denial of Service in Apache PDFBox](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2021-27807-excessive-iteration-denial-of-service-in-apache-pdfbox)
- [Uncontrolled memory consumption](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2021-31811-uncontrolled-memory-consumption)
- [Infinite Loop in Apache PDFBox](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2021-31812-infinite-loop-in-apache-pdfbox)
- [Uncontrolled Memory Allocation in Apache PDFBox](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2021-27906-uncontrolled-memory-allocation-in-apache-pdfbox)