Summary
veraPDF Validation XXE via Rich Text
Description
An XML External Entity Injection (CWE-611) vulnerability in veraPDF allows a remote attacker to read arbitrary files on the server file system and perform Server-Side Request Forgery by submitting a crafted PDF containing a malicious rich-text (/RC or /RV) entry. This affects all current versions of veraPDF-validation.
Details
The vulnerability resides in veraPDF-validation validation-model/src/main/java/org/verapdf/gf/model/tools/DictionaryKeysHelper.java within the getRichTextStringOrStreamEntryStringRepresentation() method. This helper extracts the XHTML rich-text body from a PDF dictionary string or stream and parses it with a DOM parser to return the concatenated text content.
The vulnerability stems from two combined issues:
- The DocumentBuilderFactory is instantiated with default settings , no disallow-doctype-decl, no disabling of external general/parameter entities, no FEATURE_SECURE_PROCESSING, and no secure EntityResolver. The default JAXP/Xerces parser will therefore resolve
<!DOCTYPE … SYSTEM "…">and<!ENTITY … SYSTEM "…">declarations. - After parsing,
getAllNodeText()recursively concatenates every text node in the document and returns it as the model property value. This means the expanded contents of any external entity are reflected directly back into the validation report.
Proposed Patch
Harden the DocumentBuilderFactory in validation-model/src/main/java/org/verapdf/gf/model/tools/DictionaryKeysHelper.java per the OWASP XXE Prevention Cheat Sheet to disallow DOCTYPE outright.
Impact
This impacts all current releases of the veraPDF validation-model module.
Successful exploitation requires only that the target validate an attacker-supplied PDF. A single markup annotation with a crafted /RC string is sufficient.
An XML parser processes external entity references in untrusted input, causing the server to fetch internal resources or remote URLs. Typical impact: local file disclosure, server-side request forgery, or denial of service.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
org.verapdf:validation-model to 1.30.2 or later; org.verapdf:validation-model to 1.31.71 or later; org.verapdf:validation-model-jakarta to 1.30.2 or later; org.verapdf:validation-model-jakarta to 1.31.71 or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-54078? CVE-2026-54078 is a high-severity XML external entity injection (XXE) vulnerability in org.verapdf:validation-model (maven), affecting versions >= 1.25.73, <= 1.30.1. It is fixed in 1.30.2, 1.31.71. An XML parser processes external entity references in untrusted input, causing the server to fetch internal resources or remote URLs.
- Which packages are affected by CVE-2026-54078?
org.verapdf:validation-model(maven) (versions >= 1.25.73, <= 1.30.1)org.verapdf:validation-model-jakarta(maven) (versions >= 1.25.73, <= 1.30.1)
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-54078? Yes. CVE-2026-54078 is fixed in 1.30.2, 1.31.71. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-54078 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-54078 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2026-54078 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-54078?
- Upgrade
org.verapdf:validation-modelto 1.30.2 or later - Upgrade
org.verapdf:validation-modelto 1.31.71 or later - Upgrade
org.verapdf:validation-model-jakartato 1.30.2 or later - Upgrade
org.verapdf:validation-model-jakartato 1.31.71 or later
- Upgrade