Commons ImagingApplication · Apache
CVE-2018-17202
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedCertain input files could make the code to enter into an infinite loop when Apache Sanselan 0.97-incubator was used to parse them, which could be used in a DoS attack. Note that Apache Sanselan (incubating) was renamed to Apache Commons Imaging.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceApache Sanselan (now Apache Commons Imaging) contains an infinite loop vulnerability in its image parsing logic. When processing specially crafted malicious input files, the parser enters an unbounded loop that never terminates, causing the application to hang and consume CPU resources indefinitely.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Commons ImagingApplication
= 0.97CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Apache Commons Imaging library presenceSearch your project dependencies, build files (pom.xml, build.gradle), or application classpath for 'commons-imaging' or 'apache-sanselan' JAR filesAffected if The library is present in your dependencies or classpath
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Check the installed versionExamine the JAR file name or version attribute in your dependency management (for Maven: mvn dependency:list; for Gradle: gradle dependencies; or inspect the MANIFEST.MF inside the JAR)Affected if The version is exactly 0.97 (equals 0.97, not higher or lower)
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Verify image parsing from untrusted sourcesReview your codebase for calls to ImageParser or similar Sanselan/Imaging classes that process image files, especially from user-uploaded or external sourcesAffected if Your application parses image files from untrusted or unsanitized input sources using the vulnerable library
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Inspect file processing configurationSearch for code paths that accept image files as input (file uploads, network inputs, external URLs) and pass them to Sanselan/Imaging parsers without validationAffected if Image files from untrusted sources are passed directly to the library for parsing
You are affected only if Apache Commons Imaging version 0.97 is in use AND your application parses untrusted or unsanitized image files using that library.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpdate to a patched version of Apache Commons Imaging that addresses the infinite loop vulnerability. Implement timeout controls around image parsing operations and validate/sanitize input files before processing as defense-in-depth.
Fix this in Commons Imaging
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-17202 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-17202 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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