Memory exhaustion via unbounded RunLengthDecode expansion
Published Feb 27, 2026 · Updated Feb 27, 2026
Uncontrolled resource consumption in pypdf before 6.7.4 allows attackers to exhaust memory by parsing a crafted PDF content stream. RunLengthDecode.decode expands attacker-controlled run records into an in-memory byte list without limiting total decoded output. The application must process a stream using the RunLengthDecode filter; allocation growth can terminate the consuming process or service.
Summary
What happened
Uncontrolled resource consumption in pypdf before 6.7.4 allows attackers to exhaust memory by parsing a crafted PDF content stream. RunLengthDecode.decode expands attacker-controlled run records into an in-memory byte list without limiting total decoded output. The application must process a stream using the RunLengthDecode filter; allocation growth can terminate the consuming process or service.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-28351
- Published
- Feb 27, 2026
- Updated
- Feb 27, 2026
- Vendor
- py-pdf
- Product
- pypdf
- Classifications
- CWE-400, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 27, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 27, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=< 6.7.4
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
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo