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CVE-2026-53752GHSA-GC95-3VW8-VG43

docx4j: Stack Overflow via Cyclic `w:basedOn` Style Chain leads to Denial of Service

Published
Last modified
published
Not listed in CISA KEV
Fix
Fixed in 11.5.14
None on Exploit-DB, Metasploit or GitHub
  • Exploitation: none
  • Automatable: yes
  • Technical impact: partial

Summary

docx4j is an open source Java library for creating, editing, and saving OpenXML packages, including DOCX, PPTX, and XLSX files. Prior to 11.5.14, PropertyResolver and adjacent helpers recursively follow the WordprocessingML w:basedOn style inheritance chain without cycle detection. A well-formed DOCX containing mutually based styles causes unbounded recursion in PropertyResolver.fillPPrStack and related effective-style resolution paths, resulting in StackOverflowError. Server-side conversion and table-of-contents processing of an untrusted document can terminate a worker thread, degrade a thread pool, or deny service, although isolation in disposable workers or safe containment of StackOverflowError can reduce the practical effect. The fix adds cyclic-style tracking and CyclicStylesException handling. This issue is fixed in version 11.5.14.

Timeline

  1. CVE published
  2. CISA SSVC assessment

    Exploitation: none · Automatable: yes · Technical impact: partial

  3. Record last updated

Affected versions

  • plutext docx4j

    fixed in 11.5.14

  • org.docx4j docx4j-core

    fixed in 11.5.14

  • org.docx4j:docx4j-coreMaven

    fixed in 11.5.14

References 4

GitHub · plutext/docx4j