Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian
CVE-2011-2902
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.
NVD · uneditedzxpdf in xpdf before 3.02-19 as packaged in Debian unstable and 3.02-12+squeeze1 as packaged in Debian squeeze deletes temporary files insecurely, which allows remote attackers to delete arbitrary files via a crafted .pdf.gz file name.
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.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe zxpdf component in XPDF versions before 3.02-19 (Debian unstable) and 3.02-12+squeeze1 (Debian squeeze) insecurely handles temporary file deletion, allowing remote attackers to delete arbitrary files by providing a crafted .pdf.gz filename containing path traversal sequences.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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.
NVD · CPE data
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 7.0= 8.0= 9.0< 3.02-19CVSS 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.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
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.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check if zxpdf binary is present on the systemRun 'which zxpdf' or 'dpkg -l | grep zxpdf' (Debian) or 'rpm -qa | grep xpdf' (RPM-based) to see if the zxpdf component is installedAffected if zxpdf is installed and accessible to users who could supply malicious input
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Determine installed XPDF versionRun 'zxpdf --version' or 'xpdf -version', or use package manager: 'dpkg -l xpdf' on Debian systemsAffected if The installed version is lower than 3.02-19 (or lower than 3.02-12+squeeze1 on Debian squeeze systems)
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Verify if temporary file cleanup is handled insecurelyExamine the zxpdf source code for temporary file handling routines, specifically looking for mktemp or temp file creation followed by unlink without sanitizing filenames containing '../' sequences (this requires source code review if accessible)Affected if The code does not sanitize path traversal sequences from .pdf.gz filenames before using them in temporary file operations
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Check Debian security patchesOn Debian systems, run 'dpkg -l xpdf' and check if the version string includes the -19 (unstable) or -12+squeeze1 suffix indicating the security fixAffected if The installed package version lacks the -19 or -12+squeeze1 security revision and the version is below the fixed release
A user is affected if zxpdf is installed and the XPDF version is below 3.02-19 (or below 3.02-12+squeeze1 on Debian squeeze), allowing an attacker who can provide a crafted .pdf.gz filename with path traversal sequences to delete arbitrary files on the system.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor data3.02-19
Upgrade to xpdf version 3.02-19 or later in Debian unstable, or 3.02-12+squeeze1 or later in Debian squeeze. If upgrading is not feasible, restrict access to the zxpdf utility and monitor for unauthorized file deletion operations.
Fix this in Debian Linux
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-2902 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-2902 in production — separate from our analysis above.
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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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.
- 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
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