CVE-2023-28428 in PDFio
Summary
by MITRE • 03/20/2023
PDFio is a C library for reading and writing PDF files. In versions 1.1.0 and prior, a denial of service vulnerability exists in the pdfio parser. Crafted pdf files can cause the program to run at 100% utilization and never terminate. This is different from CVE-2023-24808. A patch for this issue is available in version 1.1.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/20/2023
The CVE-2023-28428 vulnerability affects PDFio, a C library designed for PDF file manipulation that is widely used in various applications requiring PDF processing capabilities. This library serves as a foundational component for developers building PDF-aware software, making the vulnerability particularly concerning from a supply chain security perspective. The vulnerability specifically resides within the pdfio parser component that handles PDF file parsing operations, which are fundamental to any PDF processing application. The affected versions 1.1.0 and prior contain a critical flaw that can be exploited through carefully crafted malicious PDF files, potentially disrupting the normal operation of applications that depend on this library.
The technical flaw manifests as a denial of service condition within the PDF parsing logic where malformed input files can trigger infinite loops or excessive resource consumption within the parser. When a maliciously crafted PDF file is processed by the vulnerable library, the parser enters an unbounded execution state that consumes 100% CPU utilization and fails to terminate normally. This behavior represents a classic resource exhaustion attack pattern where the system becomes unresponsive to legitimate requests while the malicious process continues to consume computational resources indefinitely. The vulnerability is distinct from CVE-2023-24808, indicating that this represents a separate code path or parsing logic that requires independent mitigation efforts.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to systems that rely on PDFio for document processing, particularly in server environments where multiple PDF operations may be processed concurrently. Applications using this library could experience complete service disruption, with the affected processes consuming all available CPU resources and potentially causing cascading failures across dependent systems. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in automated processing environments where PDF files are continuously ingested and processed, as it can lead to complete system degradation or outages. Organizations using PDFio in production environments should immediately assess their exposure and implement mitigation strategies to prevent potential service interruptions.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which covers "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption" and specifically addresses resource exhaustion issues in software components. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004, covering "File System Wipeout" and related resource exhaustion techniques, though the specific impact is more limited to denial of service rather than complete system destruction. The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to PDFio version 1.1.1, which contains the necessary patches to address the parsing logic that allows for infinite execution loops. Organizations should also implement input validation measures and consider deploying additional monitoring to detect abnormal CPU utilization patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should prioritize patching this vulnerability as part of their regular maintenance schedules to prevent potential exploitation in production environments.