CVE-2019-9903

CVE-2019-9903 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Freedesktop Poppler with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5. 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-787.

Key facts

• Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.5)
• CVSS v2: 4.3
• EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (81st percentile)
• Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
• Weakness: CWE-787
• Affected product: Freedesktop Poppler
• Published: 2019-03-21
• Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

PDFDoc::markObject in PDFDoc.cc in Poppler 0.74.0 mishandles dict marking, leading to stack consumption in the function Dict::find() located at Dict.cc, which can (for example) be triggered by passing a crafted pdf file to the pdfunite binary.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-9903?

PDFDoc::markObject in PDFDoc.cc in Poppler 0.74.0 mishandles dict marking, leading to stack consumption in the function Dict::find() located at Dict.cc, which can (for example) be triggered by passing a crafted pdf file to the pdfunite binary.

How severe is CVE-2019-9903?

CVE-2019-9903 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2019-9903 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2019-9903?

CVE-2019-9903 primarily affects Freedesktop Poppler. In total, 20 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2019-9903?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2019-9903 published?

CVE-2019-9903 was published on 2019-03-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

• http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/107560
• https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2713
• https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/issues/741
• https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/09/msg00030.html
• https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/JQ6RABASMSIMMWMDZTP6ZWUWZPTBSVB5/
• https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/XGYLZZ4DZUDBQEGCNDWSZPSFNNZJF4S6/
• https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/XWWVIYFXM74KJFIDHP4W67HR4FRF2LDE/
• https://research.loginsoft.com/bugs/stack-based-buffer-overflows-in-dictfind-poppler-0-74-0/
• https://usn.ubuntu.com/4042-1/

Affected products (20)

• cpe:2.3:a:freedesktop:poppler:0.74.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:28:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:29:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:30:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:esm:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:19.04:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:8.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:8.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:8.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:8.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:8.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:8.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:8.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus:8.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus:8.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus:8.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Freedesktop Poppler

• CVE-2019-9631 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Poppler 0.74.0 has a heap-based buffer over-read in the CairoRescaleBox.cc downsample_row_box_filter function.
• CVE-2018-21009 — High (CVSS 8.8): Poppler before 0.66.0 has an integer overflow in Parser::makeStream in Parser.cc.
• CVE-2019-12293 — High (CVSS 8.8): In Poppler through 0.76.1, there is a heap-based buffer over-read in JPXStream::init in JPEG2000Stream.cc via data with…
• CVE-2019-10872 — High (CVSS 8.8): An issue was discovered in Poppler 0.74.0. There is a heap-based buffer over-read in the function…
• CVE-2019-9545 — High (CVSS 8.8): An issue was discovered in Poppler 0.74.0. A recursive function call, in JBIG2Stream::readTextRegion() located in…
• CVE-2019-9543 — High (CVSS 8.8): An issue was discovered in Poppler 0.74.0. A recursive function call, in JBIG2Stream::readGenericBitmap() located in…

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