How severe is CVE-2019-9878?

CVE-2019-9878 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-2019-9878 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (65th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2019-9878?

CVE-2019-9878 primarily affects Pdfalto Project Pdfalto. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2019-9878?

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-2019-9878 published?

CVE-2019-9878 was published on 2019-03-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2019-9878

CVE-2019-9878 is a high-severity vulnerability in Pdfalto Project Pdfalto 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-125.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 6.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (65th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-125
Affected product: Pdfalto Project Pdfalto
Published: 2019-03-21
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

There is an invalid memory access in the function GfxIndexedColorSpace::mapColorToBase() located in GfxState.cc in Xpdf 4.0.0, as used in pdfalto 0.2. It can be triggered by (for example) sending a crafted pdf file to the pdftops binary. It allows an attacker to cause Denial of Service (Segmentation fault) or possibly have unspecified other impact.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-9878?: There is an invalid memory access in the function GfxIndexedColorSpace::mapColorToBase() located in GfxState.cc in Xpdf 4.0.0, as used in pdfalto 0.2. It can be triggered by (for example) sending a crafted pdf file to the pdftops binary. It allows an attacker to cause Denial of Service (Segmentation fault) or possibly have unspecified other impact.
How severe is CVE-2019-9878?: CVE-2019-9878 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-2019-9878 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (65th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2019-9878?: CVE-2019-9878 primarily affects Pdfalto Project Pdfalto. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2019-9878?: 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-2019-9878 published?: CVE-2019-9878 was published on 2019-03-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:a:pdfalto_project:pdfalto:0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:xpdfreader:xpdf:4.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Pdfalto Project Pdfalto

CVE-2022-32324 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): PDFAlto v0.4 was discovered to contain a heap buffer overflow via the component /pdfalto/src/pdfalto.cc.
CVE-2018-18274 — High (CVSS 7.8): A issue was found in pdfalto 0.2. There is a heap-based buffer overflow in the TextPage::addAttributsNode function in…
CVE-2018-17338 — High (CVSS 7.8): An issue has been found in pdfalto through 0.2. It is a heap-based buffer overflow in the function TextPage::dump in…

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