# CVE-2025-52886: Poppler Use After Free Vulnerability

> An attacker can trigger a use-after-free in Poppler by overflowing the reference count, potentially leading to code execution or crashes.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 2 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 4 Nov 2025
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-52886, CLSA-2025-1765377802, CLSA-2026-1775817651, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-52886, ECHO-3d5b-8dce-6d87, JLSEC-2026-90, MGASA-2025-0214, OESA-2025-1955, SUSE-SU-2025:02317-1, SUSE-SU-2025:02318-1, SUSE-SU-2025:02324-1, SUSE-SU-2025:02356-1, SUSE-SU-2025:02357-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-52886, USN-7675-1, openSUSE-SU-2025:15323-1

## What is CVE-2025-52886?

CVE-2025-52886 is a medium-severity use after free vulnerability in Freedesktop Poppler, published on 2 Jul 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Poppler is a PDF rendering library. Versions prior to 25.06.0 use `std::atomic_int` for reference counting. Because `std::atomic_int` is only 32 bits, it is possible to overflow the reference count and trigger a use-after-free. Version 25.06.0 patches the issue.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-52886?

It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Enterprise Storage 7.1 | All versions | 0.79.0-150200.3.41.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-LTSS | All versions | 0.79.0-150200.3.41.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | All versions | 0.79.0-150200.3.41.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | All versions | 22.01.0-150400.3.31.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | All versions | 0.79.0-150200.3.41.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | All versions | 22.01.0-150400.3.31.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS | All versions | 0.79.0-150200.3.41.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS | All versions | 23.01.0-150500.3.20.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | All versions | 0.79.0-150200.3.41.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | All versions | 23.01.0-150500.3.20.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 | All versions | 0.79.0-150200.3.41.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 | All versions | 24.03.0-150600.3.16.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 | All versions | 0.79.0-150200.3.41.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 | All versions | 24.03.0-150600.3.16.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP6 | All versions | 24.03.0-150600.3.16.1 |
| `poppler-qt5` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP6 | All versions | 24.03.0-150600.3.16.1 |
| `poppler-qt6` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP6 | All versions | 24.03.0-150600.3.16.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP7 | All versions | 24.03.0-150600.3.16.1 |
| `poppler-qt5` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP7 | All versions | 24.03.0-150600.3.16.1 |
| `poppler-qt6` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP7 | All versions | 24.03.0-150600.3.16.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | All versions | 0.43.0-16.58.2 |
| `poppler-qt` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | All versions | 0.43.0-16.58.2 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS | All versions | 0.79.0-150200.3.41.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | All versions | 0.79.0-150200.3.41.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | All versions | 22.01.0-150400.3.31.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | All versions | 0.79.0-150200.3.41.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | All versions | 23.01.0-150500.3.20.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | All versions | 0.43.0-16.58.2 |
| `poppler-qt` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | All versions | 0.43.0-16.58.2 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP3 | All versions | 0.79.0-150200.3.41.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | All versions | 0.79.0-150200.3.41.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | All versions | 22.01.0-150400.3.31.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | All versions | 0.79.0-150200.3.41.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | All versions | 23.01.0-150500.3.20.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Manager Proxy 4.3 | All versions | 0.79.0-150200.3.41.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Manager Proxy 4.3 | All versions | 22.01.0-150400.3.31.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Manager Server 4.3 | All versions | 0.79.0-150200.3.41.1 |
| `poppler` | SUSE:Manager Server 4.3 | All versions | 22.01.0-150400.3.31.1 |
| `poppler` | openSUSE:Leap 15.6 | All versions | 24.03.0-150600.3.16.1 |
| `poppler-qt5` | openSUSE:Leap 15.6 | All versions | 24.03.0-150600.3.16.1 |

Products: Freedesktop Poppler.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-52886?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2025-52886 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-52886 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-2025-52886 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-52886 is a medium-severity use after free vulnerability in Freedesktop Poppler, published on 2 Jul 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-52886 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-2025-52886/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-52886/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-52886
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-52886
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-52886

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-52886/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.
