How severe is CVE-2026-22691?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2026-22691 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2026-22691?

CVE-2026-22691 affects the following packages: pypdf (PyPI). Ecosystems affected: PyPI.

How do I fix CVE-2026-22691?

Update pypdf to 6.6.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-22691 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2026-22691 in my PyPI dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for pypdf. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.

How do I mitigate CVE-2026-22691 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

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 does O3 Security protect against CVE-2026-22691?

O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-22691 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Is CVE-2026-22691 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2026-22691 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2026-22691?

CVE-2026-22691 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 0.4%, placing it in the 31th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-22691?

CVE-2026-22691 is classified as Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (CWE-400), CWE-1333 (CWE-1333). These weakness types describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2026-22691 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2026-22691 was published on January 10, 2026 and was last updated on April 10, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

CVE-2026-22691: pypdf has possible long runtimes for malformed…

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

0.4%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk31th percentile+0.37%

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.

Blast Radius

1 pkg affected

🐍pypdf

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

pypdf is a free and open-source pure-python PDF library. Prior to version 6.6.0, pypdf has possible long runtimes for malformed startxref. An attacker who uses this vulnerability can craft a PDF which leads to possibly long runtimes for invalid startxref entries. When rebuilding the cross-reference table, PDF files with lots of whitespace characters become problematic. Only the non-strict reading mode is affected. Only the non-strict reading mode is affected. This issue has been patched in version 6.6.0.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐍PyPI	`pypdf`	all versions	6.6.0

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for pypdf. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update pypdf to 6.6.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-22691 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 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-22691 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Tailored to CVE-2026-22691. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

pypdf is a free and open-source pure-python PDF library. Prior to version 6.6.0, pypdf has possible long runtimes for malformed startxref. An attacker who uses this vulnerability can craft a PDF which leads to possibly long runtimes for invalid startxref entries. When rebuilding the cross-reference table, PDF files with lots of whitespace characters become problematic. Only the non-strict reading mode is affected. Only the non-strict reading mode is affected. This issue has been patched in version 6.6.0.

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2026-22691 in your dependencies?

O3 detects CVE-2026-22691 across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVE-2026-22691