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🛡️ CVE-2026-44020 — docling

🟠 CVSS 8.0 — High ✅ No Known Exploit CWE-611 OSV
8.0
CVSS Score
0 Low4 Medium7 High9 Critical10

Description

Docling: Unsafe XML Entity Expansion in USPTO Patent Backend

Impact

The USPTO patent XML parser used the standard xml.sax.parseString() without protection against XML External Entity (XXE) attacks. An attacker could craft malicious USPTO patent XML files with external entity references that could:

  • Read arbitrary files from the server filesystem
  • Perform Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) attacks
  • Cause denial of service through entity expansion (Billion Laughs attack)

The vulnerability affects three USPTO patent format parsers: ICE (v4.x), Grant v2.5, and Application v1.x.

Patches

Fixed in version 2.74.0. The parser now uses defusedxml.sax.make_parser() with secure configuration that blocks external entity resolution (feature_external_ges=False, feature_external_pes=False) while allowing DTD declarations required by USPTO files. This prevents XXE attacks while maintaining compatibility with the USPTO XML format.

Workarounds

Avoid processing USPTO patent XML files from untrusted sources. Implement resource limits (memory, CPU time) when processing patent documents.

References

  • Fix release: [v2.74.0](https://github.com/docling-project/docling/releases/tag/v2.74.0)

How this vulnerability can be exploited

This issue can be reached over the network, attack complexity is low, an attacker needs no privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. The scope is unchanged, so the impact stays within the vulnerable component. Rated impact: confidentiality none, integrity none, availability high.

CVSS metrics in full

The score comes from this vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

  • Attack vector: Network — reachable from anywhere that can route to the service.
  • Attack complexity: Low — the attack works reliably, with no preparation.
  • Privileges required: None — an unauthenticated stranger can try it.
  • User interaction: None — nobody has to be tricked into anything.
  • Scope: Unchanged — the damage stays inside the vulnerable component.
  • Confidentiality impact: None.
  • Integrity impact: None.
  • Availability impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.

Weakness class

CVE-2026-44020 is classified as CWE-611: XML External Entity Reference (XXE). An XML parser resolves external entities, letting a crafted document read local files or reach internal services.

Affected software

CVE-2026-44020 is recorded against 1 package.

  • docling (from 2.13.0 up to 2.74.0)

Timeline and source

Published on 24 June 2026 and last revised on 20 July 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. A vendor advisory or fix has been published. Record sourced from OSV.

References

github.com (Fix)

Other advisories for this package

docling has other advisories on record. If you are patching this one, these are worth checking on the same host:

Same weakness in other software

These advisories are the same class of weakness (CWE-611: XML External Entity Reference (XXE)) in other software:

Details

Severity HIGH
CVSS Score 8.0
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CWE CWE-611
Public Exploit ✅ No
Source OSV
Published 2026-06-24
Updated 2026-08-20
Modified 2026-07-20

Affected Packages

Software From version Fixed in
docling 2.13.0 2.74.0

Similar Threats

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ⓘ Data Notice: The information presented above has been compiled from publicly available internet sources. Boteraser aggregates this data solely for informational purposes and does not independently classify, evaluate, or endorse any findings about the vulnerabilities listed. The accuracy and completeness of this information is the sole responsibility of the original publishers. Boteraser and its operators accept no liability for any decisions made based on this data.

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