CVE-2026-78163
Received Received - Intake

Path Traversal and SSRF in Apache Camel Docling

Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-78163, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

Publication date: 2026-10-19

Last updated on: 2026-10-19

Assigner: Apache Software Foundation

Description

Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF), Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') and Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor vulnerability in Apache Camel Docling component. This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.15.0 before 4.18.5, from 4.19.0 before 4.22.1. DoclingProducer decided what a String message body meant by inspecting its prefix. A body starting with http:// or https:// was handed to Docling as a remote URL to fetch, a body starting with / or containing a backslash was read from the local filesystem, and anything else was written to a temporary file and converted as document content. The mode was chosen implicitly and no endpoint option allowed a route author to pin the component to a single interpretation, so a route that means convert whatever text arrives in the body silently became a fetcher of remote resources or a reader of local files whenever the text happened to begin with one of those prefixes. The only guard applied to the derived value was a size check, and that check was wrapped in an existence test, so a path that resolved to nothing, or to a pseudo-file reporting a size of zero, passed without being checked at all. Five call sites reached the two sinks: the CLI mode appended the value as the final positional argument of the docling subprocess, and the docling-serve mode passed it either to HttpSource for the backend to fetch or to Files.readAllBytes so that the content could be base64-encoded and uploaded. Because the exchange body is never filtered by a HeaderFilterStrategy, unlike the Camel header namespace, a sender able to place text in a message that a route forwards into a docling endpoint could reach both sinks without any opt-in from the deployment. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.23.0, which fixes the issue. If users are on the 4.22.x releases stream, then they are suggested to upgrade to 4.22.1. If users are on the 4.18.x releases stream, then they are suggested to upgrade to 4.18.5. The 4.14.x releases stream and earlier reached end of life before this issue was resolved and will not receive a fix, so deployments on those lines must move to a supported release. For deployments that cannot upgrade immediately, do not route message bodies that originate outside the deployment into a docling endpoint, and pass the document through a typed body such as File, byte[] or InputStream, or through the CamelDoclingInputFilePath header, so that the body is never subject to prefix interpretation.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published
2026-10-19
Last Modified
2026-10-19
Generated
2026-10-19
AI Q&A
2026-10-19
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
EUVD

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 2 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
Apache Software Foundation Apache Camel 4.15.0
Apache Software Foundation Apache Camel 4.19.0

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-918 The web server receives a URL or similar request from an upstream component and retrieves the contents of this URL, but it does not sufficiently ensure that the request is being sent to the expected destination.
CWE-22 The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.
CWE-200 The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.

Attack-Flow Graph

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Executive Summary

CVE-2026-78163 is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF), Path Traversal, and Information Exposure vulnerability in Apache Camel's Docling component. The issue occurs because DoclingProducer interprets message body content based on its prefix without explicit configuration. A body starting with http:// or https:// is fetched as a remote URL, a body starting with / or containing a backslash reads local files, and other content is treated as document text. This implicit behavior allows unintended access to external resources or local files.

The vulnerability affects Apache Camel versions from 4.15.0 before 4.18.5, from 4.19.0 before 4.22.1. The issue was fixed in versions 4.18.5, 4.22.1, and 4.23.0 by introducing explicit endpoint options to control input sources.

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, inspect Apache Camel Docling component versions. Check if your system runs versions between 4.15.0 and 4.18.4, 4.19.0 and 4.22.0, or earlier unsupported versions. Use commands like 'camel-docling --version' or check Maven/Gradle dependencies for 'org.apache.camel:camel-docling'.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could allow an attacker to trick the system into fetching remote resources (SSRF) or reading sensitive local files (Path Traversal) by sending a specially crafted message body. It may also expose sensitive information if local files are accessed or remote URLs are fetched without authorization.

Attackers could exploit this to access internal systems, steal data, or perform unauthorized actions. The impact depends on the privileges of the affected application and the sensitivity of the accessed files or resources.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to non-compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or other regulations by exposing sensitive personal or health information through unauthorized file access or remote resource fetching. Organizations may face legal penalties, reputational damage, and loss of trust if such breaches occur.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade Apache Camel Docling to version 4.23.0 or apply patches 4.18.5/4.22.1. If immediate upgrade is not possible, avoid routing external message bodies to docling endpoints and use typed bodies like File, byte[], or InputStream instead.

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