# CVE-2025-20260: ClamAV PDF Scanning Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

> Remote attackers can cause denial of service or potentially execute arbitrary code via crafted PDF files processed by ClamAV.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 18 Jun 2025
- **Updated:** 26 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-64208, AZL-64223, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-20260, GHSA-596c-w2jc-jmmx, MGASA-2025-0190, MINI-fhjj-4mmh-hh4p, OESA-2025-1693, OESA-2025-1694, OESA-2025-1695, OESA-2025-1696, OESA-2025-1763, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-20260

## What is CVE-2025-20260?

CVE-2025-20260 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Clamav Clamav, published on 18 Jun 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability in the PDF scanning processes of ClamAV could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a buffer overflow condition, cause a denial of service (DoS) condition, or execute arbitrary code on an affected device.

This vulnerability exists because memory buffers are allocated incorrectly when PDF files are processed. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by submitting a crafted PDF file to be scanned by ClamAV on an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to trigger a buffer overflow, likely resulting in the termination of the ClamAV scanning process and a DoS condition on the affected software. Although unproven, there is also a possibility that an attacker could leverage the buffer overflow to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the ClamAV process.

Weakness: CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-20260?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Clamav Clamav.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-20260?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-20260 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-20260 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- https://github.com/Alex-Acero-Security/CVE-2025-20260-POC (github_poc): https://github.com/Alex-Acero-Security/CVE-2025-20260-POC
- First public PoC for CVE-2025-20260 (CVSS 9.8) - a ClamAV PDF-scanning buffer overflow, with core-dump analysis. (github_poc): https://github.com/keyuraghao/CVE-2025-20260

## Other vulnerabilities in Clamav Clamav

- [CVE-2010-0098](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-0098/): Security feature bypass in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2009-1372](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-1372/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2008-3914](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-3914/): Denial of service in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2008-0728](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-0728/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2006-1615](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-1615/): Other in n/a (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-20260 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-20260 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Clamav Clamav, published on 18 Jun 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-20260 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Clamav Clamav. 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-2025-20260/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20260/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-20260
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-20260
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-20260

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20260/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.