Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling in iTextGHSA-hhh6-cm2m-3fhc
MEDIUMFix: itext/itext7#78GHSA-hhh6-cm2m-3fhc is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) CWE-770 vulnerability in com.itextpdf:itext7-core. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for com.itextpdf:itext7-core — see the affected versions and patch details below.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-hhh6-cm2m-3fhc by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,738 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
com.itextpdf:itext7-coreReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
iText v7.1.17, up to (exluding)": 7.1.18 and 7.2.2 was discovered to contain an out-of-memory error via the component readStreamBytesRaw, which allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) via a crafted PDF file.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | com.itextpdf:itext7-core | all versions | 7.1.18com.itextpdf:itext7-core:7.1.18 |
Affected Products
itextitextpdfResearch 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 com.itextpdf:itext7-core, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update com.itextpdf:itext7-core to 7.1.18 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-hhh6-cm2m-3fhc is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Cap what an attacker can consume: apply request size, rate and timeout limits in front of the affected component, and run it with memory and CPU limits so exhaustion degrades one worker rather than the whole service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-hhh6-cm2m-3fhc in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.