Service interruption via recursive SVG reference amplification
Published Mar 13, 2026 · Updated Mar 13, 2026
Uncontrolled recursion in Kozea CairoSVG before 2.9.0 allows remote attackers to interrupt SVG conversion with a crafted SVG file. The use() function follows nested SVG use references without a depth or count limit, causing branching references to expand into exponentially many render calls. Exposure requires an application or service to process attacker-controlled SVG input with CairoSVG; the resulting CPU exhaustion can prevent the conversion process from terminating.
Summary
What happened
Uncontrolled recursion in Kozea CairoSVG before 2.9.0 allows remote attackers to interrupt SVG conversion with a crafted SVG file. The use() function follows nested SVG use references without a depth or count limit, causing branching references to expand into exponentially many render calls. Exposure requires an application or service to process attacker-controlled SVG input with CairoSVG; the resulting CPU exhaustion can prevent the conversion process from terminating.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-31899
- Published
- Mar 13, 2026
- Updated
- Mar 13, 2026
- Vendor
- Kozea
- Product
- CairoSVG
- Classifications
- CWE-674, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 13, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 13, 2026Record 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=< 2.9.0
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
- Embedded recursive use amplification proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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