# CVE-2018-14320: Memory corruption in PoDoFo PoDoFo

> Remote attackers can disclose sensitive information and potentially execute arbitrary code via memory corruption in PoDoFo when processing malicious files.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **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:** 17 Sep 2018
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2018-14320, GHSA-v265-h4r2-3fhj, UBUNTU-CVE-2018-14320

## What is CVE-2018-14320?

CVE-2018-14320 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Podofo Project Podofo, published on 17 Sep 2018. 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

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to disclose sensitive information on vulnerable installations of PoDoFo. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within PdfEncoding::ParseToUnicode. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a memory corruption condition. An attacker can leverage this in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-5673.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-14320?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Podofo Project Podofo.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-14320?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2018-14320 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-14320 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Podofo Project Podofo

- [CVE-2017-8378](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-8378/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2015-8981](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-8981/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-31556](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-31556/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2023-31566](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-31566/): Use after free in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2023-31567](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-31567/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-14320 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-14320 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Podofo Project Podofo, published on 17 Sep 2018. 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-2018-14320 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Podofo Project Podofo. 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-2018-14320/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-14320/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-14320
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-14320
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-14320

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-14320/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.