CVE-2022-30973 in Tika
Summary
by MITRE • 05/31/2022
We failed to apply the fix for CVE-2022-30126 to the 1.x branch in the 1.28.2 release. In Apache Tika, a regular expression in the StandardsText class, used by the StandardsExtractingContentHandler could lead to a denial of service caused by backtracking on a specially crafted file. This only affects users who are running the StandardsExtractingContentHandler, which is a non-standard handler. This is fixed in 1.28.3.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/27/2025
The vulnerability CVE-2022-30973 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Apache Tika's StandardsExtractingContentHandler component, demonstrating a failure in the software development lifecycle where a previously identified security issue was not properly patched in a maintenance release. This vulnerability specifically affects the 1.x branch of Apache Tika, where the remediation for CVE-2022-30126 was omitted during the 1.28.2 release cycle, creating a regression that exposes systems to potential attack vectors. The flaw resides in the StandardsText class which utilizes regular expressions to process content, creating an exploitable condition that can be triggered by specially crafted input files. This represents a classic example of a regular expression denial of service vulnerability, where the backtracking behavior of the regex engine can be manipulated to consume excessive computational resources and potentially cause system instability or complete service unavailability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the use of a regular expression within the StandardsExtractingContentHandler that is susceptible to catastrophic backtracking when processing malformed input. The StandardsExtractingContentHandler is considered a non-standard handler within Apache Tika's architecture, meaning it is not part of the core content extraction functionality but rather a specialized component designed for specific document analysis tasks. When a maliciously crafted file is processed through this handler, the regular expression engine enters into an exponential backtracking state where it repeatedly tries different combinations of pattern matching, leading to exponential time complexity and ultimately system resource exhaustion. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-400 which specifically addresses uncontrolled resource consumption and is closely related to the broader category of denial of service attacks that target computational resources.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-30973 is significant for organizations that utilize Apache Tika's StandardsExtractingContentHandler component in their document processing workflows, particularly in environments where automated content analysis is performed on untrusted input files. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by submitting specially crafted documents that trigger the problematic regular expression pattern, causing the application to consume excessive CPU cycles and memory resources until the system becomes unresponsive or crashes. This vulnerability is particularly concerning in automated processing environments such as document management systems, content repositories, or security scanning platforms where large volumes of documents are processed continuously. The fact that this vulnerability affects a non-standard handler means that organizations may not have immediate awareness of its presence in their systems, creating a stealthy attack vector that can be exploited without detection.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2022-30973 is straightforward and involves upgrading to Apache Tika version 1.28.3 or later, where the fix for CVE-2022-30126 has been properly implemented in the 1.x branch. Organizations should prioritize this upgrade as a critical security measure, particularly in environments where document processing systems are exposed to untrusted input sources. Additional defensive measures include implementing input validation and sanitization at the application level, monitoring system resource consumption during document processing, and considering the temporary disablement of the StandardsExtractingContentHandler if it is not essential for the organization's operations. From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which covers network denial of service attacks, and represents a specific implementation weakness that can be addressed through proper software maintenance practices and comprehensive regression testing. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining consistent security patches across all supported release branches and demonstrates the potential consequences of incomplete patch management processes in open source software ecosystems.