How severe is CVE-2021-43113?

CVE-2021-43113 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-43113 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (91st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-43113?

CVE-2021-43113 primarily affects Itextpdf Itext. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-43113?

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

When was CVE-2021-43113 published?

CVE-2021-43113 was published on 2021-12-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-43113

CVE-2021-43113 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Itextpdf Itext with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. 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-77.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 5% (91st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-77
Affected product: Itextpdf Itext
Published: 2021-12-15
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

iTextPDF in iText 7 and up to (excluding 4.4.13.3) 7.1.17 allows command injection via a CompareTool filename that is mishandled on the gs (aka Ghostscript) command line in GhostscriptHelper.java.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-43113?: iTextPDF in iText 7 and up to (excluding 4.4.13.3) 7.1.17 allows command injection via a CompareTool filename that is mishandled on the gs (aka Ghostscript) command line in GhostscriptHelper.java.
How severe is CVE-2021-43113?: CVE-2021-43113 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-43113 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (91st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-43113?: CVE-2021-43113 primarily affects Itextpdf Itext. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-43113?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2021-43113 published?: CVE-2021-43113 was published on 2021-12-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (3)

cpe:2.3:a:itextpdf:itext:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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CVE-2017-9096 — High (CVSS 8.8): The XML parsers in iText before 5.5.12 and 7.x before 7.0.3 do not disable external entities, which might allow remote…
CVE-2022-24198 — Medium (CVSS 6.5): iText v7.1.17 was discovered to contain an out-of-bounds exception via the component ARCFOUREncryption.encryptARCFOUR,…
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CVE-2022-24196 — Medium (CVSS 6.5): iText v7.1.17, up to (exluding)": 7.1.18 and 7.2.2 was discovered to contain an out-of-memory error via the component…
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