CVE-2018-20481

Name: CVE-2018-20481
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2018-12-26T04:29:00.267+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

UnknownEPSS 3.42%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2018-20481 is a vulnerability of currently unknown severity. XRef::getEntry in XRef.cc in Poppler 0.72.0 mishandles unallocated XRef entries, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference) via a crafted PDF document, when XRefEntry::setFlag in XRef.h is called from Parser::makeStream in Parser.cc.. EPSS estimates a 3.42% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

XRef::getEntry in XRef.cc in Poppler 0.72.0 mishandles unallocated XRef entries, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference) via a crafted PDF document, when XRefEntry::setFlag in XRef.h is called from Parser::makeStream in Parser.cc.

Metrics

EPSS Probability

3.42%

87.4th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-476

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Freedesktop	Poppler	0.72.0
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	14.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	16.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	18.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	18.10
Debian	Debian Linux	8.0

References

http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106321Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2022
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2713
https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/issues/692Exploit, Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory
https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/merge_requests/143Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/03/msg00008.htmlThird Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/07/msg00018.html
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3865-1/Third Party Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106321Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2022
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2713
https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/issues/692Exploit, Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory
https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/poppler/poppler/merge_requests/143Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/03/msg00008.htmlThird Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/07/msg00018.html
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3865-1/Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Dec 26, 2018
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-20481?

How severe is CVE-2018-20481?

Severity scoring for CVE-2018-20481 is pending analysis. The EPSS model estimates a 3.42% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2018-20481?

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-2018-20481?

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

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST