Pdfly: pypdf: Possible large memory usage for form XObjects during text extraction (CVE-2026-49461)
A vulnerability in pdfly's pypdf component allows crafted PDFs with form XObjects containing self-references to cause large memory usage during text extraction. This issue has been fixed in pypdf version 6.12.2. Users unable to upgrade immediately can apply the changes from the referenced pull request as a workaround.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2026-49461 describes a vulnerability in pdfly's pypdf library where processing a PDF page containing a form XObject with self-references during text extraction can lead to excessive memory consumption. This flaw can be exploited by an attacker crafting a malicious PDF to trigger large memory usage, potentially impacting system stability. The vulnerability affects versions of pdfly from 0.4.0 up to but not including 0.5.1_21. The issue has been addressed and fixed in pypdf version 6.12.2.
Potential Impact
An attacker can cause large memory usage on systems extracting text from malicious PDFs containing self-referential form XObjects. This may lead to resource exhaustion or denial of service conditions due to memory consumption. There is no indication of privilege escalation, code execution, or data leakage from the provided information.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade to pypdf version 6.12.2 or later to apply the official fix. If upgrading is not immediately possible, apply the changes from pull request #3805 as a temporary workaround.
Pdfly: pypdf: Possible large memory usage for form XObjects during text extraction (CVE-2026-49461)
Description
A vulnerability in pdfly's pypdf component allows crafted PDFs with form XObjects containing self-references to cause large memory usage during text extraction. This issue has been fixed in pypdf version 6.12.2. Users unable to upgrade immediately can apply the changes from the referenced pull request as a workaround.
CVSS v4.0
Affected software
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AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-49461 describes a vulnerability in pdfly's pypdf library where processing a PDF page containing a form XObject with self-references during text extraction can lead to excessive memory consumption. This flaw can be exploited by an attacker crafting a malicious PDF to trigger large memory usage, potentially impacting system stability. The vulnerability affects versions of pdfly from 0.4.0 up to but not including 0.5.1_21. The issue has been addressed and fixed in pypdf version 6.12.2.
Potential Impact
An attacker can cause large memory usage on systems extracting text from malicious PDFs containing self-referential form XObjects. This may lead to resource exhaustion or denial of service conditions due to memory consumption. There is no indication of privilege escalation, code execution, or data leakage from the provided information.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade to pypdf version 6.12.2 or later to apply the official fix. If upgrading is not immediately possible, apply the changes from pull request #3805 as a temporary workaround.
Technical Details
- Gcve Source
- db.gcve.eu
- Osv Id
- BREW-pdfly-CVE-2026-49461
- Osv Schema Version
- 1.7.3
- Ecosystems
- ["Homebrew"]
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6ac1396ea43b0b3b89d5fde6
Added to database: 10/03/2026, 17:20:46 UTC
Last enriched: 10/03/2026, 17:26:18 UTC
Last updated: 10/04/2026, 02:46:05 UTC
Views: 2
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