CVE-2016-4991

Name: CVE-2016-4991
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2022-07-28T17:15:08.453+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

CRITICALCVSS 9.8/10EPSS 1.42%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2016-4991 is a critical-severity vulnerability rated 9.8/10 on the CVSS scale. Input passed to the Pdf() function is shell escaped and passed to child_process.exec() during PDF rendering. However, the shell escape does not properly encode all special characters, namely, semicolon and curly braces. EPSS estimates a 1.42% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

Input passed to the Pdf() function is shell escaped and passed to child_process.exec() during PDF rendering. However, the shell escape does not properly encode all special characters, namely, semicolon and curly braces. This can be abused to achieve command execution. This problem affects nodepdf 1.3.0.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

9.8/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Probability

1.42%

69.4th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Nodepdf Project	Nodepdf	1.3.0

References

https://lf.lc/cve/cve-2016-4991/Exploit, Third Party Advisory
https://lf.lc/cve/cve-2016-4991/Exploit, Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Jul 28, 2022
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-4991?

How severe is CVE-2016-4991?

CVE-2016-4991 has a CVSS score of 9.8/10 (CRITICAL severity). The EPSS model estimates a 1.42% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2016-4991?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2016-4991?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

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Source: NVD / NIST