# CVE-2017-2818: Memory corruption in Poppler

> A heap overflow in Poppler allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via a crafted PDF file.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 12 Jul 2017
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2017-2818, GHSA-65cm-pc5p-2hgx, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2017-2818

## What is CVE-2017-2818?

CVE-2017-2818 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Freedesktop Poppler, published on 12 Jul 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

An exploitable heap overflow vulnerability exists in the image rendering functionality of Poppler 0.53.0. A specifically crafted PDF can cause an overly large number of color components during image rendering, resulting in heap corruption. An attacker controlled PDF file can be used to trigger this vulnerability.

Weakness: CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-2818?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Freedesktop Poppler.

## How do I fix CVE-2017-2818?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2017-2818 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-2818 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Freedesktop Poppler

- [CVE-2018-21009](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-21009/): Integer overflow in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2019-12293](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-12293/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2019-10872](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-10872/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2019-9543](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-9543/): Denial of service in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2019-9545](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-9545/): Denial of service in n/a (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2017-2818 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2017-2818 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Freedesktop Poppler, published on 12 Jul 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-2818 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Freedesktop Poppler. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-2818/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-2818/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-2818
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-2818
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2017-2818

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-2818/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.