CVE-2026-38970: n/a
pdfcpu versions prior to 0.11.2 contain a denial-of-service vulnerability caused by uncontrolled recursion in the PDF parser. The issue arises because the parser descends recursively through nested PDF objects, including arrays, without enforcing a maximum nesting depth, potentially leading to resource exhaustion.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2026-38970 affects pdfcpu through version 0.11.1. The vulnerability is an uncontrolled-recursion denial-of-service in the parsing logic located in pkg/pdfcpu/model/parse.go. Specifically, the functions ParseObjectContext() and parseArray() recursively process nested PDF objects without limiting the nesting depth, which can cause the parser to consume excessive resources and crash or hang.
Potential Impact
An attacker can craft a malicious PDF file with deeply nested objects to trigger uncontrolled recursion in the parser, leading to denial-of-service conditions such as application crashes or unresponsiveness. There is no indication of code execution or data leakage from the provided information.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, consider limiting the processing of untrusted PDF files or applying external resource constraints to mitigate potential denial-of-service impacts.
CVE-2026-38970: n/a
Description
pdfcpu versions prior to 0.11.2 contain a denial-of-service vulnerability caused by uncontrolled recursion in the PDF parser. The issue arises because the parser descends recursively through nested PDF objects, including arrays, without enforcing a maximum nesting depth, potentially leading to resource exhaustion.
Affected software
pkg:golang/github.com/pdfcpu/pdfcpuRun on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-38970 affects pdfcpu through version 0.11.1. The vulnerability is an uncontrolled-recursion denial-of-service in the parsing logic located in pkg/pdfcpu/model/parse.go. Specifically, the functions ParseObjectContext() and parseArray() recursively process nested PDF objects without limiting the nesting depth, which can cause the parser to consume excessive resources and crash or hang.
Potential Impact
An attacker can craft a malicious PDF file with deeply nested objects to trigger uncontrolled recursion in the parser, leading to denial-of-service conditions such as application crashes or unresponsiveness. There is no indication of code execution or data leakage from the provided information.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, consider limiting the processing of untrusted PDF files or applying external resource constraints to mitigate potential denial-of-service impacts.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- mitre
- Date Reserved
- 2026-04-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Cvss Version
- null
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a46d2df27e9c797191734d8
Added to database: 07/02/2026, 21:06:39 UTC
Last enriched: 07/02/2026, 21:21:26 UTC
Last updated: 07/02/2026, 21:23:30 UTC
Views: 4
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