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Pdfly: pypdf: Possible infinite loop when processing outlines/bookmarks in writer (CVE-2026-54531)

0
Medium
Published: 08/13/2026 (08/13/2026, 17:25:44 UTC)
Source: GCVE Database
Product: pdfly

Description

A vulnerability in pdfly's pypdf component allows an attacker to craft a PDF that causes an infinite loop when merging a file with outlines/bookmarks into a writer. This issue has been fixed in pypdf version 6.13.0. Users unable to upgrade immediately can apply the changes from the referenced pull request as a workaround.

CVSS v4.0

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Vuln. Confidentiality
None
Vuln. Integrity
None
Vuln. Availability
High
Subsq. Confidentiality
None
Subsq. Integrity
None
Subsq. Availability
None
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Affected software

Homebrewmore threats →ghsa
pdfly
pkg:brew/pdfly
Affected versions
>=0.4.0 <0.5.1_21

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AI-Powered Analysis

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AILast updated: 10/03/2026, 17:26:09 UTC

Technical Analysis

The vulnerability identified as CVE-2026-54531 affects pdfly's pypdf library. It occurs when processing outlines or bookmarks during the merging of PDF files into a writer, leading to a possible infinite loop. This can be triggered by an attacker crafting a malicious PDF file. The issue has been addressed and fixed in pypdf version 6.13.0.

Potential Impact

An attacker can cause a denial of service condition by triggering an infinite loop in the PDF processing component, potentially impacting availability of the application using the vulnerable pypdf versions. No privilege escalation, code execution, or data disclosure is indicated.

Mitigation Recommendations

Upgrade to pypdf version 6.13.0 or later, where this vulnerability is fixed. If immediate upgrade is not possible, apply the changes from pull request #3830 as a temporary workaround.

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Technical Details

Gcve Source
db.gcve.eu
Osv Id
BREW-pdfly-CVE-2026-54531
Osv Schema Version
1.7.3
Ecosystems
["Homebrew"]
Cvss Version
4.0
State
PUBLISHED

Threat ID: 6ac1396ca43b0b3b89d5fdda

Added to database: 10/03/2026, 17:20:44 UTC

Last enriched: 10/03/2026, 17:26:09 UTC

Last updated: 10/04/2026, 02:46:05 UTC

Views: 5

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