Apache Camel: Camel-Docling: Insufficient validation of custom CLI arguments enables…
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · None
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-88.
Summary
Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection') vulnerability in Apache Camel Docling component. The camel-docling component invokes the external `docling` command-line tool by assembling an argument list in DoclingProducer and executing it through java.lang.ProcessBuilder. Custom CLI arguments supplied through the `CamelDoclingCustomArguments` exchange header (a List<String>) were appended to that argument list with insufficient validation: the original implementation relied on a denylist of disallowed flags and only rejected path values that contained a literal `../` sequence. As a result, a Camel route that forwards externally-influenced data into the `CamelDoclingCustomArguments` header (or into the path-bearing headers used to build the invocation) could cause the producer to pass unrecognized or unintended `docling` CLI flags to the subprocess, and could supply path-like argument values that resolved outside the intended directory through traversal sequences not caught by the literal `../` check. Because Camel itself builds the `docling` invocation from these values, the component is responsible for constraining them, and the weak validation allowed CLI-argument injection and directory traversal in the arguments passed to the external tool. The invocation uses the list-based form of ProcessBuilder, so a shell does not interpret the argument values; OS command injection through shell metacharacters was not possible, and the metacharacter rejection added by the fix is defense-in-depth. This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.15.0 before 4.18.3. Users are recommended to upgrade to a release that contains the CAMEL-23212 fix. On the mainline the fix is included from Apache Camel 4.19.0 (and later releases such as 4.20.0). For users on the 4.18.x LTS releases stream, upgrade to 4.18.3. The fix replaces the denylist with a strict allowlist of recognized `docling` CLI flags (rejecting any unrecognized flag, and rejecting producer-managed flags such as the output-directory flags), defensively rejects shell metacharacters in argument values, and normalizes path-like values with Path.normalize() before validating them so that traversal sequences which bypass a literal `../` check are detected. As defence in depth, route authors should avoid mapping untrusted message content into the `CamelDoclingCustomArguments` header and the path-bearing headers, and should strip Camel-internal headers from messages that arrive from untrusted producers.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apache | Apache Camel | 4.15.0 to before 4.18.3 | 4.18.3 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | org.apache.camel:camel-docling (Maven) | 4.15.0 to before 4.18.3 | 4.18.3 | Patch available | GHSA-rpv3-6645-2vqc |
- Apache Camel VendorApache Affected 4.15.0 to before 4.18.3 Fixed in 4.18.3 Patch available CNA
- org.apache.camel:camel-docling (Maven) Vendor— Affected 4.15.0 to before 4.18.3 Fixed in 4.18.3 Patch available GHSA-rpv3-6645-2vqc
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Apache Camel (Apache Software Foundation) Fixed in 4.18.3
- Fix · GHSA-rpv3-6645-2vqc org.apache.camel:camel-docling (Maven) Fixed in 4.18.3 Advisory →
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat build of Apache Camel 4 for Quarkus 3 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat build of Apache Camel for Spring Boot 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-40047
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-rpv3-6645-2vqc
References
Advisory 3
Other 8
- https://github.com/apache/camel/pull/22082
- https://github.com/apache/camel/pull/22767
- https://github.com/apache/camel/commit/1fa56f45901f50aa79849ff2d2ca83dd57f6991c
- https://github.com/apache/camel/commit/f86fda0442c65b9d13ce3aa8ac676233b64e3351
- https://github.com/apache/camel
- https://github.com/apache/camel/releases/tag/camel-4.18.3
- https://github.com/apache/camel/releases/tag/camel-4.19.0
- https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/CAMEL-23212
More Apache Camel vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-76322 Unsafe deserialization in Apache Camel camel-hazelcast CVSS 4.0CRITICAL 10.0
- TI-2026-18973 Apache Camel: Camel-Keycloak: Cross-Realm Token Acceptance Bypass in KeycloakSecurityPolicy CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2026-76339 Path traversal in Apache Camel azure-files component CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2026-76330 Path traversal in Apache Camel FTP consumer escapes polled directory CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2025-20435 Apache Camel: Camel Message Header Injection via Improper Filtering CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.6
- TI-2026-34899 Apache Camel: Camel-CXF Message Header Injection via Missing Inbound Filtering CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
Sources
- CVE-2026-40047 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-40047 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-rpv3-6645-2vqc · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-40047 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences