Resource exhaustion in pypdf via forged page counts in encrypted PDFs
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Passive
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 7 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-400.
Summary
pypdf versions before 6.21.3 are affected. When an application reads the page count of an encrypted PDF, pypdf trusts a forged /Count value in the page tree instead of walking the tree, an uncontrolled resource consumption flaw (CWE-400). An unauthenticated remote attacker can cause excessive time and memory use if a user opens a crafted encrypted PDF.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-04
Description from the CNA
pypdf is a free and open-source pure-python PDF library. Prior to 6.21.3, pypdf can consume excessive time and memory when an application accesses the page count of a crafted encrypted PDF whose page tree declares a forged /Count value. Even after successful decryption, page-count retrieval trusts the unvalidated declared count instead of walking the page tree, allowing the attacker-controlled value to drive excessive work and memory use. This issue is fixed in version 6.21.3.
Why it matters now
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 6.21.3 | 6.21.3 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | pypdf (PyPI) | before 6.21.3 | 6.21.3 | Patch available | GHSA-62m5-6wh8-28x7 |
- pypdf Vendorpy-pdf Affected before 6.21.3 Fixed in 6.21.3 Patch available CNA
- pypdf (PyPI) Vendor— Affected before 6.21.3 Fixed in 6.21.3 Patch available GHSA-62m5-6wh8-28x7
Remediation
Upgrade pypdf to 6.21.3, the fixed version. Red Hat lists Ansible Automation Orchestrator 2026, Lightspeed Core, OpenShift Lightspeed, Red Hat Enterprise Linux AI (RHEL AI) 3 and Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI) as affected without a fix and with no plan available, and lists Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 and Red Hat Quay 3 as affected with no fix planned.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-04
- Fix · CNA pypdf (py-pdf) Fixed in 6.21.3
- Fix · GHSA-62m5-6wh8-28x7 pypdf (PyPI) Fixed in 6.21.3 Advisory →
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Ansible Automation Orchestrator 2026 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Lightspeed Core | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| OpenShift Lightspeed | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| 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 planned: Out of support scope |
Timeline
- 2026-10-29 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-119208
- 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Alias added: GHSA-62m5-6wh8-28x7
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: PyPI/[email protected] · GHSA-62m5-6wh8-28x7
- 2026-10-30 CVSS score added · GHSA-62m5-6wh8-28x7
- 2026-10-30 Weakness changed · GHSA-62m5-6wh8-28x7
- 2026-10-30 6 new references · GHSA-62m5-6wh8-28x7
- 2026-10-31 Priority changed: MEDIUM → LOW
- 2026-11-02 CVSS score added · NVD
- 2026-11-04 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Patch 3
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-2026-119208 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-119208 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-62m5-6wh8-28x7 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-119208 · 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