Resource exhaustion in Py-Pdf Pypdf

CVE-2025-55197

pypdf is a free and open-source pure-python PDF library. Prior to version 6.0.0, an attacker can craft a PDF which leads to the RAM being exhausted. This requires just reading the file if a series of FlateDecode filters is used on a malicious cross-reference stream. Other content streams are affected on explicit access. This issue has been fixed in 6.0.0. If an update is not possible, a workaround involves including the fixed code from pypdf.filters.decompress into the existing filters file.

Vulnerability class: DoS (Denial of Service)

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.5 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.005 (37.3th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 37th percentile — 37.3% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2025-55197: held from 0.004 to 0.005.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.004 · newest: 0.005 · change: +0.000

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-55197?
CVE-2025-55197 is a high-severity vulnerability in Py-Pdf Pypdf, classified under Uncontrolled Resource Consumption. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2025-08-13.
How severe is CVE-2025-55197?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.
Is CVE-2025-55197 known to be exploited?
1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.