CVE-2026-42589

9.8 CRITICAL
Published: May 14, 2026 Modified: May 18, 2026
View on NVD

Description

Gotenberg is a Docker-powered stateless API for PDF files. Prior to 8.31.0, Gotenberg's /forms/pdfengines/metadata/write HTTP endpoint accepts a JSON metadata object and passes its keys directly to ExifTool via the go-exiftool library. No validation is performed on key characters. A \n embedded in a JSON key splits the ExifTool stdin stream into a new argument line, allowing an attacker to inject arbitrary ExifTool flags — including -if, which evaluates Perl expressions. This achieves unauthenticated OS command execution in a single HTTP request. The response is HTTP 200 with a valid PDF, making the attack transparent to basic monitoring. This vulnerability is fixed in 8.31.0.

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CVSS v3.x Details

0.0 Low Medium High Critical 10.0
Vector String
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Patch Vendor Advisory Exploit Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/gotenberg/gotenberg/security/advisories/GHSA-rqgh-gxv4-6657
Source: security-advisories@github.com
Exploit Mitigation Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/gotenberg/gotenberg/security/advisories/GHSA-rqgh-gxv4-6657
Source: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Exploit Mitigation Vendor Advisory

2 reference(s) from NVD

Quick Stats

CVSS v3 Score
9.8 / 10.0
EPSS (Exploit Probability)
8.8%
93th percentile
Exploitation Status
Not in CISA KEV

Weaknesses (CWE)

Affected Vendors

thecodingmachine