Executive Summary

CVE-2026-24009 is a high-severity Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability in the docling-core Python package. It occurs when the function docling_core.types.doc.DoclingDocument.load_from_yaml() processes untrusted YAML data using PyYAML versions earlier than 5.4. The vulnerability arises because the unsafe yaml.FullLoader is used for deserialization, which can execute arbitrary code embedded in the YAML input. This issue is related to a previous PyYAML vulnerability (CVE-2020-14343) and affects docling-core versions from 2.21.0 up to but not including 2.48.4. The vulnerability was fixed by switching to yaml.SafeLoader, which safely restricts deserialization and prevents code execution from untrusted YAML data. [2, 3, 5]

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can allow an attacker to remotely execute arbitrary code on your system without requiring any privileges or user interaction, potentially leading to full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. Because it is exploitable over the network with high attack complexity, an attacker could run malicious code by supplying crafted YAML input to the vulnerable docling-core function. This could result in unauthorized access, data loss, or system disruption. [2, 3]

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability can be detected by checking the versions of docling-core and PyYAML installed on your system. Specifically, verify if docling-core is between versions 2.21.0 and 2.48.4 (exclusive) and if PyYAML is below version 5.4. You can use commands like `pip show docling-core` and `pip show PyYAML` to check installed versions. Additionally, review your application code to see if it calls `docling_core.types.doc.DoclingDocument.load_from_yaml()` with untrusted YAML input, which is the vulnerable usage pattern. [2]

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Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability immediately, upgrade docling-core to version 2.48.4 or later, where the vulnerability is patched by switching YAML deserialization from `yaml.FullLoader` to `yaml.SafeLoader`. If upgrading docling-core is not possible right away, ensure that PyYAML is upgraded to version 5.4 or higher, which addresses the underlying PyYAML vulnerability. Avoid passing untrusted YAML data to `DoclingDocument.load_from_yaml()` until these updates are applied. [2, 5]

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Compliance Impact

This vulnerability allows remote code execution through unsafe deserialization of untrusted YAML data, which can lead to severe impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data. Such impacts could result in non-compliance with data protection standards and regulations like GDPR and HIPAA, which require safeguarding sensitive data against unauthorized access and ensuring system integrity. Therefore, exploitation of this vulnerability could compromise compliance with these regulations by exposing sensitive information or disrupting system operations. [2, 3]

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