pypdf: Manipulated XMP metadata streams can exhaust RAM
Priority LOW 29CWE-770Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 6 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-770.
Summary
pypdf is a free and open-source pure-python PDF library. Prior to 6.12.1, an attacker who uses this vulnerability can craft a PDF which leads to large memory usage. This requires parsing large XMP metadata, possibly with lots of unnecessary elements. This vulnerability is fixed in 6.12.1.
Why it matters now
Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00128 2nd percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Partial pypdf (py-pdf): 6.12.1pypdf (PyPI): 6.12.1Red Hat: 6 without a fix
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| py-pdf | pypdf | before 6.12.1 | 6.12.1 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | pypdf (PyPI) | before 6.12.1 | 6.12.1 | Patch available | GHSA-wjqc-6w8f-h24c |
- pypdf Vendorpy-pdf Affected before 6.12.1 Fixed in 6.12.1 Patch available CNA
- pypdf (PyPI) Vendor— Affected before 6.12.1 Fixed in 6.12.1 Patch available GHSA-wjqc-6w8f-h24c
Remediation
- Fix · CNA pypdf (py-pdf) Fixed in 6.12.1
- Fix · GHSA-wjqc-6w8f-h24c pypdf (PyPI) Fixed in 6.12.1 Advisory →
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Exploit Intelligence | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| OpenShift Lightspeed | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AI (RHEL AI) 3 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI) | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Quay 3 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-48735
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-wjqc-6w8f-h24c
References
More py-pdf Pypdf vulnerabilities
- TI-2023-18601 Infinite Loop when reading malformed objects in pypdf CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.5
- TI-2023-18305 Infinite Loop when a comment isn't followed by a character in pypdf CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.2
- TI-2026-42743 pypdf: Possible infinite loop for not terminated inline images CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-42742 pypdf: Possible infinite loop for not terminated inline images (ASCII85 and ASCIIHex filter) CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-65557 pypdf: Possible large memory usage when retrieving alphabetical page labels CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-65556 pypdf: Possible long runtimes with large amount of embedded files CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
Sources
- CVE-2026-48735 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-48735 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-wjqc-6w8f-h24c · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-48735 · 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