CVE-2017-6848
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 PoDoFo::PdfXObject::PdfXObject function in PdfXObject.cpp in PoDoFo 0.9.5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference) 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 · moderate confidenceA NULL pointer dereference vulnerability exists in PoDoFo::PdfXObject::PdfXObject function in PdfXObject.cpp of PoDoFo library version 0.9.5. When processing a crafted PDF file, the function fails to properly validate a pointer before dereferencing it, leading to a denial of service 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= 0.9.5CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/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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Locate PoDoFo library installationSearch for libpodofo files: find / -name 'libpodofo*' 2>/dev/null on Linux; check C:\Program Files on Windows; or examine linked dependencies of applications using PoDoFo with ldd/ldd64Affected if PoDoFo library files are present in the system
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Determine installed PoDoFo versionCheck version string in library file metadata: strings libpodofo.so.0.9.5 | grep -i version, or examine the application's linked library version, or check package manager if installed via apt/yumAffected if Version is exactly 0.9.5
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Identify applications using PoDoFoSearch for binaries that link to libpodofo: ldd $(which <app>) | grep podofo, or review application dependencies documentationAffected if Applications link against PoDoFo 0.9.5 and process PDF files
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Confirm PDF processing from untrusted sourcesReview application logs, audit configurations, or network captures to determine if the application processes PDF files from external or untrusted sourcesAffected if The application processes PDF files from users or systems outside the trusted boundary
Environment is affected if PoDoFo version 0.9.5 is installed AND any application uses it to process potentially untrusted PDF files, as the NULL pointer dereference triggers during PDF parsing of crafted files.
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 to a patched version of PoDoFo if available; otherwise, implement proper NULL pointer validation in the PdfXObject constructor before dereferencing any pointers, and validate all PDF objects before use.
- 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-2017-6848 — 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-2017-6848 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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