CVE-2025-50420 is a vulnerability identified in the pdfseparate utility, which is part of the freedesktop Poppler library version 25.04.0. Poppler is a widely used open-source PDF rendering library employed by many Linux distributions and applications for handling PDF files. The vulnerability arises from the way pdfseparate processes crafted PDF files, leading to an infinite recursion condition. Specifically, when an attacker supplies a maliciously crafted PDF file to pdfseparate, the utility enters an infinite recursive loop during processing. This behavior results in excessive consumption of system resources such as CPU and memory, ultimately causing the process to hang or crash, leading to a Denial of Service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability does not appear to allow code execution or data leakage but disrupts service availability. There is no CVSS score assigned yet, and no known exploits have been reported in the wild. The affected versions are not explicitly specified beyond version 25.04.0, but it is implied that this version is vulnerable. No patches or fixes have been linked or published at the time of this report. The vulnerability requires an attacker to supply a crafted PDF file to the vulnerable utility, which may be invoked manually or by automated systems that process PDFs using pdfseparate. No authentication or user interaction beyond providing the file is necessary, making exploitation feasible in environments where untrusted PDFs are processed.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2025-50420 is the potential disruption of services that rely on pdfseparate for PDF manipulation tasks, such as splitting PDF documents. This can affect document processing workflows in sectors like government, finance, legal, publishing, and education, where automated PDF handling is common. The Denial of Service caused by infinite recursion can lead to system instability, degraded performance, or crashes of services that depend on Poppler utilities, potentially interrupting business operations. While the vulnerability does not directly compromise confidentiality or integrity, the availability impact can be significant, especially in high-volume or automated environments. Organizations that integrate Poppler tools into their document management systems or use Linux distributions that include the vulnerable version may experience operational disruptions. Additionally, if pdfseparate is exposed to untrusted inputs, such as user-uploaded PDFs on web applications or email attachments processed automatically, the risk of exploitation increases. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate threat but does not eliminate the risk, as attackers could develop exploits once details become widely known.

To mitigate CVE-2025-50420, European organizations should first identify all systems and applications utilizing the Poppler library, specifically the pdfseparate utility. Since no official patch is currently available, organizations should consider the following practical steps: 1) Restrict or sanitize inputs to pdfseparate by validating and filtering PDF files before processing, blocking suspicious or malformed PDFs that could trigger infinite recursion. 2) Implement resource limits (e.g., CPU time, memory usage) on processes running pdfseparate to prevent system-wide impact from infinite recursion loops. 3) Monitor logs and system metrics for unusual resource consumption or process hangs related to pdfseparate usage. 4) Where feasible, isolate pdfseparate execution in sandboxed or containerized environments to limit the blast radius of potential DoS conditions. 5) Stay updated with Poppler project releases and apply patches promptly once a fix for this vulnerability is published. 6) Consider alternative PDF processing tools temporarily if pdfseparate is critical and no patch is available. 7) Educate users and administrators about the risk of processing untrusted PDF files and enforce strict input controls in automated workflows.