CVE-2026-42593 | Gotenberg: Arbitrary PDF read via stampExpression and watermarkExpression in merge, split, and convert routes

Exp

Gotenberg is a Docker-powered stateless API for PDF files. Prior to 8.32.0, pdfengines/merge, pdfengines/split, libreoffice/convert, chromium/convert/url, chromium/convert/html, and chromium/convert/markdown accept stampSource=pdf + stampExpression=/path and watermarkSource=pdf + watermarkExpression=/path from anonymous callers. The dedicated stamp/watermark routes require an uploaded file when the source type is image or pdf; these six routes only overwrite the expression when a file is uploaded, leaving the user-controlled path intact when no file is attached. pdfcpu opens the path and composites its pages onto the output PDF, which returns to the caller. An attacker reads any PDF the Gotenberg process can access on the container filesystem. This vulnerability is fixed in 8.32.0.

Published: 2026-05-14 Last update: 2026-05-18 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2026-42593 is rated Exploit Available (50/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.06%). Core evidence: 1 public exploit reference(s) are indexed (Exploit-DB). Mandatory action: Public exploits are available—assess exposure, apply mitigations, and prioritize patching.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2026-42593

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-42593

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-05-19 0.04% 0.06% +0.02%
2 2026-05-15 0.04%

Full EPSS history (2 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-42593

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
5.3 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:L)
Some sensitive info could get out, but not a total data dump.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
3.9 1.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-42593

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2026-42593

GHSA-3cv5-q585-h563 · Severity: medium · Ecosystem: go — Gotenberg has arbitrary PDF read via stampExpression and watermarkExpression in merge, split, and convert routes

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-42593

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
thecodingmachine gotenberg < 8.32.0 cpe:2.3:a:thecodingmachine:gotenberg:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2026-42593

cvelogic Threat Intelligence