Quick answer
Direct answer
Risk scores
| CVSS metric | What it means |
|---|---|
| Attack vector (AV:N) | Network: reachable remotely |
| Attack complexity (AC:L) | Low complexity |
| Attack requirements (AT:N) | No attack requirements |
| Privileges required (PR:N) | No privileges required |
| User interaction (UI:N) | No user interaction |
| Confidentiality (VC:N) | No confidentiality impact |
| Integrity (VI:N) | No integrity impact |
| Availability (VA:H) | High availability impact |
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
About Pypdf Project Pypdf
CVE-2026-102993 affects Pypdf Project Pypdf, a product from Pypdf Project. Before acting, confirm where Pypdf Project Pypdf runs in your estate, who owns it and whether it is reachable from the internet, because exposure decides real risk more than the score alone.
What the flaw is
In plain terms: pypdf is a free and open-source pure-python PDF library. Prior to 6.17.0, a crafted PDF can provide unusually large Roman page-label values that cause pypdf/_page_labels.py to generate excessively large numeral strings when an application retrieves document page labels, consuming large amounts of memory and potentially making the application unavailable. This issue is fixed in version 6.17.0.
The weakness class is Uncontrolled Resource Consumption. An attacker can exhaust CPU, memory or connections.
Based on its CVSS vector, the flaw can be reached over the network, needs no login, and needs no user interaction. Apply the vendor fix and confirm exposure on internet facing and business critical assets first.
Affected versions and timeline
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Product | Pypdf Project Pypdf |
| Affected versions | Pypdf before 6.17.0 |
| Published | Sep 30, 2026 |
| Last modified | Oct 2, 2026 |
| Added to CISA KEV | Not listed |
| Assigning CNA | security-advisories@github.com |
How to detect it
- Inventory every instance of Pypdf Project Pypdf and record the running version against the affected range above.
- Check external attack surface scans for internet facing instances of the component.
- Review logs on affected systems for unusual requests, errors or new processes around the vulnerable function.
- Confirm with an authenticated vulnerability scan once your scanner has a check for this CVE.
How to fix it
- Apply the fixed version of Pypdf Project Pypdf named in the vendor advisory.
- If patching must wait, restrict network access to the affected service and put it behind authentication or a web application firewall rule.
- Rescan after the change to prove the exposure is gone, then close the ticket.
CTEM action plan
| CTEM stage | What to do for this CVE |
|---|---|
| Scope | Add every business service that depends on Pypdf Project Pypdf to the current CTEM cycle. |
| Discover | Find all instances, including shadow and cloud deployments, and record versions and exposure. |
| Prioritize | Rank using EPSS and CVSS together with asset exposure and business impact. |
| Validate | Confirm the flaw is reachable and exploitable in your environment and that compensating controls work. |
| Mobilize | Assign the fix to the asset owner with a due date matched to the priority, then verify closure. |
CWE References
- CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption More CVEs with this weakness
- CWE-770: Allocation Without Limits More CVEs with this weakness
Technical References
Frequently asked questions
Related CVEs
pypdf is a free and open-source pure-python PDF library. Prior to 6.19.0, a crafted PDF can provide unusually large alphabetical page-label values that cause pypdf/_page_labels.py to generate strings beyond a reasonable page-label length when an application retrieves document page labels, consuming excessive memory and potentially making the application unavailable. This issue is fixed in version 6.19.0.
pypdf is a free and open-source pure-python PDF library. Prior to 6.19.0, a crafted PDF containing many embedded files can cause the dictionary-based attachments API in pypdf/_doc_common.py to reparse the full attachment list for each content lookup, producing repeated work and long runtimes when an application accesses the embedded-file mapping. This issue is fixed in version 6.19.0.
pypdf is a free and open-source pure-python PDF library. Prior to 6.19.0, a crafted PDF with form field values can cause pypdf/generic/_appearance_stream.py appearance-stream generation to repeat invariant selection-data work inside a loop when an application updates fields with flattening enabled, resulting in excessive runtimes and application unavailability. This issue is fixed in version 6.19.0.
pypdf is a free and open-source pure-python PDF library. Prior to 6.18.1, a crafted PDF containing a partially malformed /FlateDecode stream with padded data can force pypdf/filters.py to use inefficient byte-by-byte decompression while the earlier recovery counter fails to advance for bytes that successfully decode, causing long runtimes and application unavailability. This is a residual issue after the malformed FlateDecode recovery fix. This issue is fixed in version 6.18.1.
pypdf is a free and open-source pure-python PDF library. Prior to 6.18.1, a crafted PDF can provide a TrueType or Type1 simple font with an unusually large /Widths array, causing pypdf/_font.py Font._collect_tt_t1_character_widths to process entries beyond the 256 character codes meaningful for a simple font and consume excessive memory during operations such as text extraction. This issue is fixed in version 6.18.1.
pypdf is a free and open-source pure-python PDF library. Prior to 6.18.1, a crafted PDF can place unusually large source-code or destination-string tokens in a font /ToUnicode mapping, causing pypdf/_cmap.py parse_bfchar to decode and retain oversized values during operations such as text extraction and consume excessive memory. This is a second follow-up to earlier /ToUnicode resource-consumption fixes and is limited to the remaining token-length path. This issue is fixed in version 6.18.1.
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