CVE-2025-46205 identifies a heap-use-after-free vulnerability in the PdfTokenizer::ReadDictionary function within the podofo library versions 0.10.0 through 0.10.5. Heap-use-after-free (CWE-416) occurs when a program continues to use memory after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior that can be exploited to cause crashes or potentially execute arbitrary code. In this case, the vulnerability is triggered by processing a crafted PDF file that manipulates the dictionary parsing logic, causing the program to access freed heap memory. The primary impact is a Denial of Service (DoS) by crashing the application or causing instability. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N) indicates that the attack can be launched remotely over the network with low attack complexity, no privileges required, but requires user interaction (opening the malicious PDF). The scope is unchanged, but the impact on confidentiality and integrity is high, suggesting potential for information disclosure or data manipulation beyond DoS, although no exploitation in the wild has been reported. The supplier disputes the vulnerability due to lack of a reproducible test case, which complicates verification and patch development. No patches or mitigations have been officially released yet. The vulnerability affects applications and services that rely on podofo for PDF parsing, which may include document viewers, converters, or automated PDF processing pipelines.

For European organizations, the primary impact is service disruption due to application crashes when processing malicious PDFs, which can affect business continuity especially in sectors heavily reliant on document workflows such as finance, legal, and government. The high confidentiality and integrity impact ratings suggest that if exploited beyond DoS, sensitive information could be exposed or altered, posing compliance and reputational risks under regulations like GDPR. Since the attack requires user interaction, phishing or social engineering campaigns could be vectors for exploitation. Organizations using podofo in automated document processing or embedded systems may face increased risk if untrusted PDFs are ingested without validation. The lack of available patches increases exposure time, and the dispute from the supplier may delay remediation efforts. Overall, the threat could disrupt critical document handling services and potentially lead to data breaches if further exploitation techniques emerge.

1. Immediately audit and inventory all systems and applications using podofo versions 0.10.0 to 0.10.5 to identify exposure. 2. Until patches are available, restrict or block processing of untrusted PDF files, especially from external or unknown sources. 3. Implement PDF sanitization tools that can detect and remove suspicious or malformed PDF objects before processing. 4. Employ network-level protections such as email gateway filters and endpoint security solutions to detect and quarantine malicious PDFs. 5. Educate users to avoid opening PDFs from untrusted or unexpected sources to reduce risk of user-interaction exploitation. 6. Monitor vendor communications for patches or updates and apply them promptly once released. 7. Consider deploying application-level sandboxing or isolation for PDF processing components to contain potential crashes or exploits. 8. Enable detailed logging and anomaly detection on PDF processing services to identify exploitation attempts early. 9. Collaborate with cybersecurity communities to share indicators and detection techniques related to this vulnerability. 10. Evaluate alternative PDF libraries with active support and security track records if podofo usage is critical and patches are delayed.