CVE-2026-44020 Details
Description
Docling simplifies document processing by parsing diverse formats and providing integrations with the generative AI ecosystem. From 2.13.0 until 2.74.0, the USPTO patent XML parser used the standard xml.sax.parseString() without protection against XML External Entity (XXE) attacks. An attacker could craft malicious USPTO patent XML files with external entity references that could read arbitrary files from the server filesystem, perform Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) attacks, or cause denial of service through entity expansion (Billion Laughs attack). The vulnerability affects three USPTO patent format parsers: ICE (v4.x), Grant v2.5, and Application v1.x. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.74.0.
A vulnerability in Docling's USPTO patent XML parser, affecting versions 2.13.0 prior to 2.74.0, allows for XML External Entity (XXE) attacks. The parser used the standard xml.sax.parseString() without safeguards against XXE, enabling attackers to craft malicious XML files that could read arbitrary files from the server, perform Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) attacks, or cause denial-of-service by exploiting entity expansion, known as the Billion Laughs attack. This issue impacts three USPTO patent format parsers: ICE (v4.x), Grant v2.5, and Application v1.x.
The vulnerability is fixed in Docling version 2.74.0, which updates the parser to use defusedxml.sax.make_parser() with a secure configuration that blocks external entity resolution while allowing necessary DTD declarations for USPTO files. Users should also avoid processing USPTO patent XML from untrusted sources and can implement resource limits when handling patent documents.
Metrics
CVSS 4.0 Severity and Vector Strings:
No CVSS 4.0 data is available for this CVE.
CVSS 3.x Severity and Vector Strings:
No data available for CVSS Version 2.0 on this CVE.
CISA-ADP
Assessed Jun 25, 2026References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
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| URL | Source(s) | Tag(s) |
|---|---|---|
| https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:60520 | redhat-SADP | |
| https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-44020 | redhat-SADP | |
| https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2492456 | redhat-SADP | |
| https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-44020.json | redhat-SADP | |
| https://github.com/docling-project/docling/security/advisories/GHSA-m88r-rg27-5xfg | [email protected] | MitigationPatchVendor Advisory |
Weakness Enumeration
| CWE-ID | CWE Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CWE-611 | Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference | redhat-SADP |
| CWE-776 | Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs ('XML Entity Expansion') | [email protected] |
Affected Products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
| docling docling | >= 2.13.0, < 2.74.0 |
CPE
Remediation
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Change History
7 change records found show changes
| Date | Action | Recorded By |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2026 | CVE Modified | redhat-SADP |
| Aug 28, 2026 | CVE Modified | [email protected] |
| Jul 15, 2026 | CVE Modified | redhat-SADP |
| Jun 30, 2026 | CVE Modified | redhat-SADP |
| Jun 26, 2026 | Initial Analysis | [email protected] |
| Jun 25, 2026 | CVE Modified | CISA-ADP |
| Jun 24, 2026 | New CVE Received | [email protected] |