CVE-2023-24813 is a critical-severity (CVSS 10) CWE-436 vulnerability in dompdf/dompdf. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for dompdf/dompdf — see the affected versions and patch details below.
URI validation failure on SVG parsing. Bypass of CVE-2023-23924
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-24813.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2023-24813 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,636 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
dompdf/dompdfReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
Due to the difference in the attribute parser of Dompdf and php-svg-lib, an attacker can still call arbitrary URLs with arbitrary protocols.
Details
Dompdf parses the href attribute of image tags with the following code:
src/Image/Cache.php line 135-150
function ($parser, $name, $attributes) use ($options, $parsed_url, $full_url) {
if (strtolower($name) === "image") {
$attributes = array_change_key_case($attributes, CASE_LOWER);
$url = $attributes["xlink:href"] ?? $attributes["href"];
if (!empty($url)) {
$inner_full_url = Helpers::build_url($parsed_url["protocol"], $parsed_url["host"], $parsed_url["path"], $url);
if ($inner_full_url === $full_url) {
throw new ImageException("SVG self-reference is not allowed", E_WARNING);
}
[$resolved_url, $type, $message] = self::resolve_url($url, $parsed_url["protocol"], $parsed_url["host"], $parsed_url["path"], $options);
if (!empty($message)) {
throw new ImageException("This SVG document references a restricted resource. $message", E_WARNING);
}
}
}
},
As you can see from the code snippet above, it respects xlink:href even if href is specified.
$url = $attributes["xlink:href"] ?? $attributes["href"];
However, php-svg-lib, which is later used to parse the svg file, parses the href attribute with the following code:
src/Svg/Tag/Image.php line 51-57
if (isset($attributes['xlink:href'])) {
$this->href = $attributes['xlink:href'];
}
if (isset($attributes['href'])) {
$this->href = $attributes['href'];
}
Since href is respected if both xlink:href and href is specified, it's possible to bypass the protection on the Dompdf side by providing an empty xlink:href attribute.
Impact
An attacker can exploit the vulnerability to call arbitrary URLs with arbitrary protocols if they provide an SVG file to the Dompdf. In PHP versions before 8.0.0, it leads to arbitrary unserialize, which will lead, at the very least, to arbitrary file deletion and might lead to remote code execution, depending on available classes.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | dompdf/dompdf | ≥ 2.0.2&&< 2.0.3 | 2.0.3composer require dompdf/dompdf:^2.0.3 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for dompdf/dompdf, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update dompdf/dompdf to 2.0.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-24813 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2023-24813 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-24813. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-24813 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-24813 across Packagist dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.