pdfcpu through v0.11.1 contains an uncontrolled-recursion denial-of-service issue in…
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-674.
Summary
pdfcpu through v0.11.1 contains an uncontrolled-recursion denial-of-service issue in pkg/pdfcpu/model/parse.go. The parser descends recursively through nested PDF objects, including arrays, via ParseObjectContext() and parseArray() without enforcing a maximum nesting depth.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-38970
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-7wmm-6g5p-mv4p
- 2026-10-28 EPSS moved to the 50th–90th percentile
References
Other 5
- https://github.com/pdfcpu/pdfcpu/blob/a181c19acb322d6b93a1bbda9385a864a9ad6efe/pkg/pdfcpu/model/parse.go#L325-L366
- https://github.com/pdfcpu/pdfcpu/blob/a181c19acb322d6b93a1bbda9385a864a9ad6efe/pkg/pdfcpu/model/parse.go#L942-L970
- https://github.com/pdfcpu/pdfcpu
- https://github.com/pdfcpu/pdfcpu/commit/9db810afb52b555ffcae955b32c0be3a73eb53d3
- https://github.com/pdfcpu/pdfcpu/releases/tag/v0.12.0
Sources
- CVE-2026-38970 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-38970 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-7wmm-6g5p-mv4p · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-38970 · 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