CVE-2026-54079: veraPDF XML External Entity injection in XFA stream validation

CVE-2026-54079 · Severity: high · CVSS 4 · Published 2026-07-29

veraPDF is a software library used to validate that PDF files comply with international standards like PDF/A and PDF/UA. A security flaw allows an attacker to create a specially crafted PDF file that, when scanned by the software, can force the server to reveal local files or make unauthorized network requests. This could lead to the exposure of sensitive system information or internal network data.

Technologies: org.verapdf:validation-model (Maven), org.verapdf:validation-model-jakarta (Maven), veraPDF Validation-Model, veraPDF Validation-Model-Jakarta, veraPDF-validation. Vendors: Maven, veraPDF.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-54079 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-54079 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-54079?
High severity, with a CVSS score of 4, published 29 July 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
org.verapdf:validation-model (Maven) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=1.17.35,fixed=1.30.2; org.verapdf:validation-model-jakarta (Maven) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=1.17.35,fixed=1.30.2; veraPDF Validation-Model >= 1.17.35, <= 1.30.1; >= 1.31.1, <= 1.31.70; veraPDF Validation-Model-Jakarta >= 1.17.35, < 1.30.2; >= 1.31.1, < 1.31.71, >= 1.17.35, <= 1.30.1; >= 1.31.1, <= 1.31.70; and 1 more.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-54079?
Yes. org.verapdf:validation-model (Maven): upgrade to 1.30.2 or later; org.verapdf:validation-model-jakarta (Maven): upgrade to 1.30.2 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-54079 attacked?
It is attacked over the network, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-54079?
Check whether you run org.verapdf:validation-model (Maven), org.verapdf:validation-model-jakarta (Maven), veraPDF Validation-Model or one of the others listed 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.verapdf:validation-model (Maven): upgrade to 1.30.2 or later
    # set org.verapdf:validation-model to 1.30.2 in your pom.xml or build.gradle
  • org.verapdf:validation-model-jakarta (Maven): upgrade to 1.30.2 or later
    # set org.verapdf:validation-model-jakarta to 1.30.2 in your pom.xml or build.gradle

Technical details

An XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability (CWE-611) exists in the veraPDF-validation library within the getdynamicRender() method of GFPDAcroForm.java. The vulnerability is caused by the use of an insecurely configured DocumentBuilderFactory that does not disable DTDs or external entity expansion when parsing XFA streams from PDF files. An attacker can exploit this by providing a malicious PDF that triggers the PDF/UA-1 validation rule 'dynamicRender != required'. Successful exploitation allows for local file disclosure via out-of-band exfiltration or outbound Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF). The issue has been resolved in versions 1.30.2 and 1.31.71 by implementing secure XML parsing defaults.

Affected products

  • veraPDF veraPDF-validation >= 1.17.35, < 1.30.2; >= 1.31.1, < 1.31.71
  • veraPDF validation-model-jakarta >= 1.17.35, < 1.30.2; >= 1.31.1, < 1.31.71

Identifiers

  • CVE-2026-54079
  • GHSA-36mm-w85j-3q2j

Timeline

  • 2026-05-19: other: Pull request submitted to harden DocumentBuilder security
  • 2026-05-28: patched: Fix merged into integration branch
  • 2026-06-08: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory published
  • 2026-07-29: disclosed: CVE published to NVD

References

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