Service interrupt via 32-bit reference-count overflow
Published Jul 2, 2025 · Updated Nov 4, 2025
Use-after-free in Poppler before 25.06.0 allows attackers to interrupt PDF processing by supplying a crafted PDF file. The Annot.h, Array.h, Dict.h, and Stream.h counters use 32-bit std::atomic_int values that wrap to zero and free a still-referenced object. Triggering the flaw requires 2^32 reference increments during file processing, and the published test took about 12 hours.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in Poppler before 25.06.0 allows attackers to interrupt PDF processing by supplying a crafted PDF file. The Annot.h, Array.h, Dict.h, and Stream.h counters use 32-bit std::atomic_int values that wrap to zero and free a still-referenced object. Triggering the flaw requires 2^32 reference increments during file processing, and the published test took about 12 hours.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-52886
- Published
- Jul 2, 2025
- Updated
- Nov 4, 2025
- Vendor
- Libslirp Project
- Product
- Poppler
- Classifications
- CWE-416, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 2, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Nov 4, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=< 25.06.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- GitHub Security Lab Poppler reference-count overflow proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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