CVE-2019-0228

CRITICALNVD 9.89.8—

9.8

Apache PDFBox 2.0.14 does not properly initialize the XML parser, which allows context-dependent attackers to conduct XML External Entity (XXE) attacks via a crafted XFDF.

CVSS v3: 9.8
EG Score: 9.8(medium)
EPSS: 94.2%
KEV: Not listed

Published

April 17, 2019

Last Modified

November 21, 2024

References (24)

security@apachehttps://lists.apache.org/thread.html/1a3756557f8cb02790b7183ccf7665ae23f608a421c4f723113bca79%40%3Cusers.pdfbox.apache.org%3E
security@apachehttps://lists.apache.org/thread.html/8a19bd6d43e359913341043c2a114f91f9e4ae170059539ad1f5673c%40%3Ccommits.tika.apache.org%3E
security@apachehttps://lists.apache.org/thread.html/bc8db1bf459f1ad909da47350ed554ee745abe9f25f2b50cad4e06dd%40%3Cserver-dev.james.apache.org%3E
security@apachehttps://lists.apache.org/thread.html/be86fcd7cd423a3fe6b73a3cb9d7cac0b619d0deb99e6b5d172c98f4%40%3Ccommits.tika.apache.org%3E
security@apachehttps://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r0a2141abeddae66dd57025f1681c8425834062b7c0c7e0b1d830a95d%40%3Cusers.pdfbox.apache.org%3E
security@apachehttps://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r32b8102392a174b17fd19509a9e76047f74852b77b7bf46af95e45a2%40%3Cserver-dev.james.apache.org%3E
security@apachehttps://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/6HKVPTJWZGUB4MH4AAOWMRJHRDBYFHGJ/
security@apachehttps://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/POPOGHJ5CVMUVCRQU7APBAN5IVZGZFDX/
security@apachehttps://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html
security@apachehttps://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuApr2021.html
security@apachehttps://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2020.html
security@apachehttps://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html
af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/1a3756557f8cb02790b7183ccf7665ae23f608a421c4f723113bca79%40%3Cusers.pdfbox.apache.org%3E
af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/8a19bd6d43e359913341043c2a114f91f9e4ae170059539ad1f5673c%40%3Ccommits.tika.apache.org%3E
af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/bc8db1bf459f1ad909da47350ed554ee745abe9f25f2b50cad4e06dd%40%3Cserver-dev.james.apache.org%3E

Affected Packages

(1 across 1 ecosystem)

Maven(1)

Package	Vulnerable range	Fixed in	Dependents
org.apache.pdfbox:pdfbox	2.0.14	2.0.15	—

Weakness Classification(1)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

CWE-611Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (XXE)

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 6× in last 7d / 6× in last 30d)

Every time one of our enrichment pipelines (NVD, MITRE cvelistV5, EPSS, CISA KEV, GHSA, OSV, vendor advisories) ran against this CVE. Most recent first.

2026-05-27 20:31 UTCEG score recompute
2026-05-27 13:38 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-26 13:42 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-26 13:42 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-26 07:17 UTCepss_batch
2026-05-26 07:17 UTCepss_batch

Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2019-0228?

CVE-2019-0228 is a critical vulnerability published on April 17, 2019. Apache PDFBox 2.0.14 does not properly initialize the XML parser, which allows context-dependent attackers to conduct XML External Entity (XXE) attacks via a crafted XFDF.

When was CVE-2019-0228 disclosed?

CVE-2019-0228 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on April 17, 2019, with the most recent update on November 21, 2024. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.

Is CVE-2019-0228 actively exploited?

CVE-2019-0228 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 94.2% percentile likelihood of exploitation in the next 30 days — higher percentiles indicate greater predicted risk.

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-0228?

CVE-2019-0228 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.8 (NVD).

How do I remediate CVE-2019-0228?

Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2019-0228, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

Dependency Blast Radius

See which npm, PyPI, Go, and Maven packages are affected by CVE-2019-0228

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