CVE-2010-3702 in Poppler
Summary
by MITRE
The Gfx::getPos function in the PDF parser in xpdf before 3.02pl5, poppler 0.8.7 and possibly other versions up to 0.15.1, CUPS, kdegraphics, and possibly other products allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via unknown vectors that trigger an uninitialized pointer dereference.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/28/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-3702 represents a critical denial of service flaw affecting PDF parsing functionality across multiple software implementations. This issue resides within the Gfx::getPos function of xpdf's PDF parser, which is widely utilized in various applications including CUPS printing system and KDE graphics libraries. The vulnerability manifests as an uninitialized pointer dereference that can be triggered by carefully crafted PDF documents, leading to application crashes and system instability. The flaw affects versions of xpdf prior to 3.02pl5, poppler versions up to 0.15.1, and potentially other implementations that share similar parsing logic. Security researchers have identified that this vulnerability can be exploited by context-dependent attackers who craft malicious PDF content designed to trigger the specific code path involving the uninitialized pointer access.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-476, which describes NULL pointer dereference conditions in software systems. The flaw occurs when the Gfx::getPos function attempts to access memory through a pointer that has not been properly initialized, creating a scenario where the application crashes when trying to dereference an invalid memory address. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of memory safety issues and represents a classic example of improper initialization of variables in C/C++ based applications. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it can be triggered through normal PDF document processing, making it exploitable in various real-world scenarios including web browsing, document previewing, and print queue processing. The uninitialized pointer dereference creates an unpredictable crash condition that can be reliably reproduced by sending specific PDF content to vulnerable applications.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-3702 extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially disrupt critical document processing workflows in enterprise environments. Organizations relying on PDF rendering for business operations, printing services, or document management systems face significant risk from this vulnerability. When exploited, the denial of service condition can cause cascading failures in print queues, web applications serving PDF content, and document processing pipelines. The vulnerability affects multiple products within the broader PDF ecosystem, including CUPS printing system which handles print jobs across various networked environments, and KDE graphics libraries that provide PDF viewing capabilities in desktop environments. This widespread impact makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can affect multiple layers of the software stack simultaneously, potentially leading to complete system availability issues.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected software versions and implementation of proper input validation measures. Organizations should prioritize updating their xpdf, poppler, CUPS, and KDE graphics installations to versions that contain the necessary fixes for the uninitialized pointer dereference issue. Additionally, implementing PDF content filtering and sandboxing mechanisms can help reduce the risk of exploitation by limiting the impact of potentially malicious documents. Security teams should consider deploying network-based intrusion detection systems that can identify and block suspicious PDF content patterns associated with this vulnerability. The fix typically involves proper initialization of all pointers before use and adding bounds checking to prevent invalid memory access conditions. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of memory safety practices in software development and the critical need for thorough code review processes to identify and prevent similar issues in other components of the software ecosystem.