CVE-2025-55197: Psutils · PyPDF's Manipulated FlateDecode streams can exhaust RAM
Affects psutilsSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.6 Medium : upgrade to 3.3.11_1 when convenient.
Data as of 1 Nov 2026, 00:22 UTC
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 3.3.11_1
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:UExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 13 Aug 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 31 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade psutils to 3.3.11_1.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Homebrewpsutilspkg:brew/psutilsOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
Upgrade psutils to version 3.3.11_1 or later, where this vulnerability is fixed. If upgrading immediately is not possible, implement the workaround for the 'pypdf.filters.decompress' function as described in the linked source code to mitigate the issue.
Description
CVE-2025-55197 is a high-severity vulnerability in psutils affecting PyPDF's handling of FlateDecode streams. An attacker can craft a malicious PDF that exhausts system RAM simply by reading it if the PDF uses a series of FlateDecode filters on a cross-reference stream. This vulnerability affects versions >=3.0 and <3.3.11_1 of psutils and has been fixed in version 3.3.11_1.
References
- github.com/py-pdf/pypdf/security/advisories/GHSA-7hfw-26vp-jp8m (opens in a new tab)
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-55197 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/py-pdf/pypdf/issues/3429 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/py-pdf/pypdf/pull/3430 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/py-pdf/pypdf (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/py-pdf/pypdf/blob/0dd57738bbdcdb63f0fb43d8a6b3d222b6946595/pypdf/filters.py (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/py-pdf/pypdf/releases/tag/6.0.0 (opens in a new tab)