CVE-2017-6844
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in the PoDoFo::PdfParser::ReadXRefSubsection function in PdfParser.cpp in PoDoFo 0.9.4 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via a crafted file.
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 buffer overflow vulnerability exists in PoDoFo::PdfParser::ReadXRefSubsection function in PdfParser.cpp of PoDoFo library version 0.9.4. The vulnerability is triggered when parsing a specially crafted PDF file with a malicious xref subsection, leading to potential code execution or denial of service.
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= 0.9.4CVSS 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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Check if PoDoFo library is installedLook for the PoDoFo library files on the system or check package manager for installed packages containing 'podofo'Affected if PoDoFo library is present on the system
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Identify the installed PoDoFo versionQuery the installed package version via package manager, or check library version metadata if linking against the libraryAffected if Version returned equals exactly 0.9.4
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Determine if PDF parsing with PoDoFo is in useReview application code or runtime environment to confirm PoDoFo is being used for PDF parsing, particularly xref table processingAffected if Applications or services process PDF files using PoDoFo version 0.9.4
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Inspect PDF processing workflow for untrusted inputAudit the environment to see if PoDoFo processes PDF files from untrusted sourcesAffected if PoDoFo 0.9.4 processes or parses PDF files from external or untrusted input sources
A system is affected if it runs PoDoFo library version 0.9.4 and uses it to parse PDF files, especially from untrusted sources, as the buffer overflow in ReadXRefSubsection triggers when parsing malicious xref subsections.
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 dataUpdate PoDoFo to the latest version or apply a patch that adds proper bounds checking in the ReadXRefSubsection function to validate xref table entries before copying data into buffers. Validate PDF files through a sandbox before processing.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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 $3,808.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-6844 — 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-2017-6844 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data