Cyber Resilience

CVE-2024-7868

Xpdfreader Xpdf ≤ 4.06

Published
15 August 2024
Modified
06 October 2025
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v4 2.1
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
EPSS Score 0.0039 32th percentile
Risk Priority 20 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2024-7868 is a low-severity Use of Uninitialized Variable (CWE-457) vulnerability in Xpdfreader Xpdf. Its CVSS base score is 2.1 (Low).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique OS Credential Dumping (T1003); ranked at the 32th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SA-15 (Development Process, Standards, and Tools) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

In Xpdf 4.05 (and earlier), invalid header info in a DCT (JPEG) stream can lead to an uninitialized variable in the DCT decoder. The proof-of-concept PDF file causes a segfault attempting to read from an invalid address.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1003 OS Credential Dumping Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to dump credentials to obtain account login and credential material, normally in the form of a hash or a clear text password.
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
T1552 Unsecured Credentials Credential Access
Adversaries may search compromised systems to find and obtain insecurely stored credentials.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-26930Same product: Xpdfreader Xpdf
CVE-2024-3900Same product: Xpdfreader Xpdf
CVE-2024-2971Same product: Xpdfreader Xpdf
CVE-2024-4141Same product: Xpdfreader Xpdf
CVE-2024-4976Same product: Xpdfreader Xpdf
CVE-2023-2662Same product: Xpdfreader Xpdf
CVE-2023-3436Same product: Xpdfreader Xpdf
CVE-2024-3248Same product: Xpdfreader Xpdf
CVE-2024-4568Same product: Xpdfreader Xpdf
CVE-2024-7866Same product: Xpdfreader Xpdf

Affected Assets

xpdfreader
xpdf
≤ 4.06

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Developer testing and static analysis directly find uses of uninitialized variables before deployment.

Documented development standards and tools can enforce initialization requirements in code.

Engineering principles can mandate explicit variable initialization to avoid uninitialized use.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly catch uninitialized-variable defects via static analysis and code review while the control encompasses many additional development controls.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

Security testing can detect uninitialized-variable bugs, but the control is broader.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates practices that reduce uninitialized-variable defects.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify initialization rules, but the control itself does not directly address the weakness.

prevents

Secure system architecture and engineering principles include defensive coding practices that prevent use of uninitialized memory or objects.

prevents

Secure coding explicitly requires variable initialization and static-analysis checks.

References