XpdfApplication · Foolabs

CVE-2009-0800

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-04-23

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.02 or later.

See remediation →

77/100

Remediation priority · High

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

Multiple "input validation flaws" in the JBIG2 decoder in Xpdf 3.02pl2 and earlier, CUPS 1.3.9 and earlier, Poppler before 0.10.6, and other products allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted PDF file.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Multiple input validation flaws in the JBIG2 decoder allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted PDF files. The vulnerabilities exist in Xpdf, CUPS, and Poppler libraries that process PDF documents, where insufficient validation of JBIG2 image data can lead to memory corruption and code execution.

MitigationUpdate affected libraries (Xpdf to 3.02pl3+, CUPS to 1.3.10+, Poppler to 0.10.6+) to patched versions. Alternatively, implement content scanning or disable JBIG2 decoding in PDF viewers until patches can be applied.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

XpdfApplication

Affected:= 0.5a= 0.7a= 0.91a= 0.91b= 0.91c= 0.92a= 0.92b= 0.92c= 0.92d= 0.92e= 0.93a= 0.93b

XpdfreaderApplication

Affected:<= 3.02= 0.2= 0.3= 0.4= 0.5= 0.6= 0.7= 0.80= 0.90= 0.91= 0.92= 0.93

PopplerApplication

Affected:<= 0.10.5= 0.1= 0.1.1= 0.1.2= 0.2.0= 0.3.0= 0.3.1= 0.3.2= 0.3.3= 0.4.0= 0.4.1= 0.4.2

CupsApplication

Affected:<= 1.3.9= 1.1= 1.1.1= 1.1.2= 1.1.3= 1.1.4= 1.1.5= 1.1.5-1= 1.1.5-2= 1.1.6= 1.1.6-1= 1.1.6-2

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: M
Authentication: None
Confidentiality: Partial
Integrity: Partial
Availability: Partial

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Identify Xpdf version

Run 'xpdf -v' or 'pdftotext -v' to get the version number of the Xpdf or Poppler utility installed

Affected if The version matches or falls within the affected ranges: 0.5a, 0.7a, 0.91a through 0.93b for Foolabs Xpdf; any version <= 3.02 or listed (0.2 through 0.93) for Glyphandcog Xpdfreader; any version <= 0.10.5 or listed (0.1 through 0.4.2) for Poppler
Identify CUPS version

Run 'cups-config --version' or check the installed cups package version via your system package manager

Affected if The version is <= 1.3.9 or matches one of the affected versions: 1.1 through 1.1.6-2
Check for PDF processing libraries

Inspect the system for installed PDF libraries: look for libpoppler, libcupsm, or xpdf libraries via package manager or by checking /usr/lib or /usr/share directories for these library files

Affected if Any of the affected library versions listed above are present on the system
Verify JBIG2 decoding capability

Attempt to process a PDF file containing JBIG2 image data using the installed pdf tool (pdftotext, pdfinfo, or xpdf) and monitor for errors or examine the tool's feature support

Affected if The installed tool successfully decodes JBIG2 images, indicating the vulnerable decoder is active
Check PDF processing services

For CUPS, verify if the print spooler is processing PDF documents: check CUPS configuration files and active print queues that handle PDF input

Affected if CUPS is configured to accept PDF print jobs and uses an unpatched version <= 1.3.9

The environment is affected if any Xpdf, Poppler, or CUPS installation matches the listed affected versions and the system processes PDF documents with JBIG2 image content.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

From vendor data

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 3.02

Interim mitigation

Update affected libraries (Xpdf to 3.02pl3+, CUPS to 1.3.10+, Poppler to 0.10.6+) to patched versions. Alternatively, implement content scanning or disable JBIG2 decoding in PDF viewers until patches can be applied.

Fix this in Xpdf Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation2.0 h
Implementation4.0 h
Testing4.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

12.0 hours of engineering $2,080

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2009-0800 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2009-0800?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here

Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to after 3.02 or later

Severity 6.8 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 5.5%

Affects: Xpdf

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Xpdf 12 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $2,080

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2009-0800 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

Check your environment

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References