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CVE Record

CVE-2018-8036: In Apache PDFBox 1.8.0 to 1.8.14 and 2.0.0RC1 to 2.0.10, a carefully crafted (or fuzzed) file can trigger a...

In Apache PDFBox 1.8.0 to 1.8.14 and 2.0.0RC1 to 2.0.10, a carefully crafted (or fuzzed) file can trigger an infinite loop which leads to an out of memory exception in Apache PDFBox's AFMParser.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

Apache PDFBox can be forced into an infinite loop while parsing a crafted AFM-related file, exhausting memory and causing denial of service. The known affected ranges are PDFBox 1.8.0 through 1.8.14 and 2.0.0RC1 through 2.0.10.

Executive priority

Treat this as a targeted availability risk. It is most urgent where document processing is exposed to customers, suppliers, or email-borne content and where downtime affects business operations.

Technical view

CVE-2018-8036 affects Apache PDFBox AFMParser. A crafted or fuzzed file can trigger an infinite loop that leads to an out-of-memory exception. The provided sources identify affected PDFBox ranges but do not provide CVSS, CWE, or detailed exploit prerequisites.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely in Java applications or downstream products that use affected PDFBox versions to process untrusted PDFs, font metrics, uploads, email attachments, or batch document inputs.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. The attack impact is denial of service through memory exhaustion, not documented code execution or data disclosure.

Researcher notes

The public bundle establishes product, version ranges, parser component, and failure mode. It lacks CVSS, CWE, proof of active exploitation, and detailed fixed-version text, so remediation should be verified against vendor advisories.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade Apache PDFBox outside the affected ranges, following Apache or downstream vendor guidance.
  • Apply relevant downstream vendor updates from Red Hat, Fedora, Oracle, or your product supplier.
  • Prioritize services that parse untrusted documents, uploads, or email attachments.
  • Isolate document-processing workers and apply resource limits where feasible.
  • Monitor for repeated out-of-memory failures during PDF or font parsing.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory SBOMs and dependencies for Apache PDFBox 1.8.0-1.8.14 or 2.0.0RC1-2.0.10.
  • Check operating system packages and bundled Java libraries for downstream PDFBox copies.
  • Review public upload, document conversion, and email-processing paths for untrusted file parsing.
  • Confirm vendor advisory updates are installed in packaged or embedded deployments.
  • Review logs for parser hangs or out-of-memory events tied to document processing.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
7

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

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CVE-2018-8036 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
7Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
Apache Software FoundationApache PDFBox1.8.0 to 1.8.14, 2.0.0RC1 to 2.0.10Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.