How severe is CVE-2015-8868?

CVE-2015-8868 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2015-8868 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (90th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2015-8868?

CVE-2015-8868 primarily affects Freedesktop Poppler. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2015-8868?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2015-8868 published?

CVE-2015-8868 was published on 2016-05-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2015-8868

CVE-2015-8868 is a high-severity vulnerability in Freedesktop Poppler with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-119.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 9.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 5% (90th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-119
Affected product: Freedesktop Poppler
Published: 2016-05-06
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Heap-based buffer overflow in the ExponentialFunction::ExponentialFunction function in Poppler before 0.40.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via an invalid blend mode in the ExtGState dictionary in a crafted PDF document.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2015-8868?: Heap-based buffer overflow in the ExponentialFunction::ExponentialFunction function in Poppler before 0.40.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via an invalid blend mode in the ExtGState dictionary in a crafted PDF document.
How severe is CVE-2015-8868?: CVE-2015-8868 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2015-8868 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (90th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2015-8868?: CVE-2015-8868 primarily affects Freedesktop Poppler. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2015-8868?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2015-8868 published?: CVE-2015-8868 was published on 2016-05-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (6)

cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:23:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:12.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:15.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:freedesktop:poppler:0.39.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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