CVE-2023-6299
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 · uneditedA vulnerability, which was classified as problematic, has been found in Apryse iText 8.0.1. This issue affects some unknown processing of the file PdfDocument.java of the component Reference Table Handler. The manipulation leads to memory leak. The attack may be initiated remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. Upgrading to version 8.0.2 is able to address this issue. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component. The identifier VDB-246125 was assigned to this vulnerability. NOTE: The vendor was contacted early about this vulnerability. The fix was introduced in the iText 8.0.2 release on October 25th 2023, prior to the disclosure.
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 memory leak vulnerability exists in the Reference Table Handler of PdfDocument.java in iText PDF library version 8.0.1. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to cause memory exhaustion through manipulation of PDF files processed by the affected component.
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= 8.0.1CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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.
-
Identify iText library version in useCheck the JAR file name (itext-8.0.1.jar) or inspect Maven/Gradle dependencies for com.itextpdf:itext7-core version 8.0.1Affected if The version is exactly 8.0.1
-
Confirm PDF processing is occurringVerify that the application uses PdfDocument class from com.itextpdf.kernel.pdf to process PDF filesAffected if PdfDocument is being instantiated and PDF files are being read/processed
-
Check for Reference Table Handler usageMonitor application behavior when processing PDF files - the memory leak occurs in the Reference Table Handler during PDF parsingAffected if PDF files with crafted reference tables are being processed by PdfDocument
The environment is affected if iText version 8.0.1 is in use and the application processes PDF files through PdfDocument, as the memory leak in the Reference Table Handler will trigger during PDF parsing.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade iText from version 8.0.1 to version 8.0.2 or later, which contains the fix for the memory leak in the Reference Table Handler.
iText 8.0.2
- Update the iText dependency in your project's build configuration (Maven pom.xml or Gradle build.gradle) from version 8.0.1 to version 8.0.2
- Run maven/gradle to fetch the updated dependency
- Rebuild the project to incorporate the new library version
- Test the application to verify the memory leak is resolved and functionality remains intact
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-6299 — 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-2023-6299 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data