CVE-2017-15369
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 · uneditedThe build_filter_chain function in pdf/pdf-stream.c in Artifex MuPDF before 2017-09-25 mishandles a certain case where a variable may reside in a register, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (Fitz fz_drop_imp use-after-free and application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted PDF document.
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 confidenceA use-after-free vulnerability in Artifex MuPDF's build_filter_chain function in pdf/pdf-stream.c allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via crafted PDF documents. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of variables that may reside in registers, leading to a fz_drop_imp use-after-free condition.
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<= 1.11CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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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Identify MuPDF installationSearch for the MuPDF binary or library on the system. Common locations: /usr/bin/mupdf, /usr/local/bin/mupdf, or check for libmupdf shared library (libmupdf.so, libmupdf.dll)Affected if MuPDF binary or library is found on the system
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Determine MuPDF versionRun 'mupdf -v' or 'mupdf --version' if the binary exists, or inspect the library version via 'strings libmupdf.so | grep -i version' or file metadataAffected if The version is 1.11 or earlier (1.11, 1.10, 1.9, 1.8, etc.)
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Verify PDF parsing is accessibleCheck if the system has applications or services that invoke MuPDF for PDF rendering. Look for configurations where untrusted PDF documents could be processedAffected if PDF rendering or parsing functionality is enabled and accessible to process documents
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Inspect vulnerable component presenceExamine the installed MuPDF binary or library for the pdf/pdf-stream.c compiled object. Use 'objdump -t libmupdf.so | grep build_filter_chain' or similar to locate the functionAffected if The build_filter_chain function from pdf-stream.c is present in the installation
If MuPDF version 1.11 or earlier is installed and PDF document processing is enabled, the environment is affected by this use-after-free vulnerability.
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 dataUpgrade to MuPDF version 2017-09-25 or later. Until then, disable automatic PDF rendering in untrusted environments and avoid opening PDF documents from unknown sources.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,080.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-15369 — 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-2017-15369 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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- 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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