CVE-2020-9489

Denial of service via malformed parser input

Published Apr 27, 2020 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Denial of service in Apache Tika 1.24 and earlier allows attackers to crash or hang applications by submitting crafted files. OneNotePtr called System.exit for a nonzero reserved field and repeated deserialization when no bytes were consumed, while TikaInputStream trusted unreliable skip results. Exploitation requires a target application or service to parse an attacker-controlled file; outcomes are limited to process termination, memory exhaustion, or an infinite loop.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability2.61%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Denial of service in Apache Tika 1.24 and earlier allows attackers to crash or hang applications by submitting crafted files. OneNotePtr called System.exit for a nonzero reserved field and repeated deserialization when no bytes were consumed, while TikaInputStream trusted unreliable skip results. Exploitation requires a target application or service to parse an attacker-controlled file; outcomes are limited to process termination, memory exhaustion, or an infinite loop.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-9489
Published
Apr 27, 2020
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
The Apache Software Foundation
Product
Apache Tika
Classifications
CWE-401, CWE-835
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 27, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=Up to 1.24

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

The Apache Software Foundation · Apache Tikaversion=Up to 1.24

Published CVSS scores

5.5GitHub Advisory DatabaseCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-401Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
CWE-835Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition ('Infinite Loop')

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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