# CVE-2026-16770: Command injection in PDF::WebKit

> Attackers can inject wkhtmltopdf arguments via HTML meta tags to read local files or write to arbitrary paths when rendering untrusted HTML.

- **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:** No
- **Published:** 12 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 13 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-6f7m-6567-58mj

## What is CVE-2026-16770?

CVE-2026-16770 is a critical command injection vulnerability in MITHALDU PDF::WebKit, published on 12 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

PDF::WebKit versions through 1.2 for Perl allow argument injection into wkhtmltopdf via meta tags in the source document.

For an HTML string or file source, the constructor collects every <meta name="pdf-webkit-KEY" content="VALUE"> element in the document head through _pdf_webkit_meta_tags and turns each one into a wkhtmltopdf command line option. KEY is normalized to an option name matching --[a-z0-9-]+ but is not checked against an allow list, VALUE is passed through unchanged as the argument that follows it, and a VALUE of "yes" emits the option as a bare flag. BUILD merges the meta derived options last, so they also override the module defaults and the options passed to new. Switches such as --enable-local-file-access and --cookie-jar are reachable this way. The renderer is executed with an argument list rather than a shell command, so this is argument injection and not shell injection.

Any caller that renders untrusted HTML lets the document choose the renderer's options and override those set by the application, including options that read local files into the resulting PDF or write to a chosen path. A URL source is not scanned, and the scan is skipped when XML::LibXML, a recommended dependency, is not installed.

Weakness: CWE-88 (Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-16770?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-16770?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-16770 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-16770 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-16770 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-16770 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-16770 is a critical command injection vulnerability in MITHALDU PDF::WebKit, published on 12 Aug 2026. 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-2026-16770 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: MITHALDU PDF::WebKit. 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-2026-16770/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16770/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-16770
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-16770
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-16770

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16770/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.