Executive brief
Docling is a tool used to convert various document formats into formats compatible with AI systems. A security flaw in its LaTeX processing component allows a malicious document to trick the software into reading sensitive files from the server or computer where it is running. This could lead to the exposure of private data, configuration files, or credentials if an attacker can convince a user or automated system to process a specially crafted LaTeX file.
Technical details
A path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) exists in Docling's LaTeX backend due to insufficient validation of file paths in specific commands. The handling of \includegraphics, \input, and \include commands failed to ensure that resolved paths remained within the intended base directory. An attacker can exploit this by providing a malicious LaTeX document containing path traversal sequences (e.g., ../../../etc/passwd). When processed, the application may include the contents of arbitrary system files in its output. The vulnerability is fixed in version 2.91.0 by implementing strict path validation using Path.resolve().is_relative_to().
Affected products
- docling-project Docling >= 2.73.0, < 2.91.0
Timeline
- 2026-04-23: patched: Version 2.91.0 released
- 2026-06-02: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory published
- 2026-06-24: disclosed: NVD publication date