CVE-2026-78163: Apache Camel Path Traversal (CVSS 5.9)

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.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.9/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Source: CNA advisory (CVE.org). NVD analysis pending.

Vendor	Product	Versions
Apache Software Foundation	Apache Camel	>= 4.15.0, < 4.18.5; >= 4.19.0, < 4.22.1

References

Timeline

Published: Oct 19, 2026
Last Modified: Oct 19, 2026
Status: Awaiting Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-78163?

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.

How severe is CVE-2026-78163?

CVE-2026-78163 has a CVSS score of 5.9/10 (MEDIUM severity).

How do I fix CVE-2026-78163?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

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