Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-31898

RCE in Parall Jspdf ≤ 4.2.1

Published
18 March 2026
Modified
20 July 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.1
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0036 29th percentile
Risk Priority 59 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-31898 is a high-severity Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output (CWE-116) vulnerability in Parall Jspdf. Its CVSS base score is 8.1 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Content Injection (T1659); ranked at the 29th 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 SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2026-31898 is an improper input validation vulnerability in the jsPDF JavaScript library, which generates PDFs in browser or Node.js environments. Versions prior to 4.2.1 are affected, specifically in the `createAnnotation` method where user-controlled arguments, such as the `color` parameter, enable injection of arbitrary PDF objects including JavaScript actions. This stems from CWE-116 (Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output) and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N). The issue was published on 2026-03-18.

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by providing malicious, unsanitized input to the `createAnnotation` method during PDF generation. No privileges are required, and exploitation is network-accessible with low complexity, but it demands user interaction, such as a developer or end-user processing the tainted input. Successful injection embeds JavaScript actions in the resulting PDF, which can execute upon opening or interacting with the document, potentially compromising confidentiality and integrity through actions like data exfiltration or unauthorized modifications.

The vulnerability is fixed in jsPDF version 4.2.1, as detailed in the project's release notes, fix commit, and security advisory (GHSA-7x6v-j9x4-qf24). Mitigation involves updating to the patched version; as a workaround, sanitize all user input before passing it to the `createAnnotation` method or related APIs. Source code affected areas are in `src/modules/annotations.js` lines 193-208.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

jsPDF is a library to generate PDFs in JavaScript. Prior to version 4.2.1, user control of arguments of the `createAnnotation` method allows users to inject arbitrary PDF objects, such as JavaScript actions. If given the possibility to pass unsanitized input…

more

to the following method, a user can inject arbitrary PDF objects, such as JavaScript actions, which might trigger when the PDF is opened or interacted with the `createAnnotation`: `color` parameter. The vulnerability has been fixed in jsPDF@4.2.1. As a workaround, sanitize user input before passing it to the vulnerable API members.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1659 Content Injection Initial Access
Adversaries may gain access and continuously communicate with victims by injecting malicious content into systems through online network traffic.
T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.002 AppleScript Execution
Adversaries may abuse AppleScript for execution.
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.005 Visual Basic Execution
Adversaries may abuse Visual Basic (VB) for execution.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-25755Same product: Parall Jspdf
CVE-2026-24737Same product: Parall Jspdf
CVE-2022-36100Shared CWE-116, CWE-94
CVE-2022-36099Shared CWE-116, CWE-94
CVE-2025-49013Shared CWE-116, CWE-94
CVE-2026-54133Shared CWE-116, CWE-94
CVE-2026-33941Shared CWE-116, CWE-94
CVE-2026-55570Shared CWE-116, CWE-94
CVE-2026-59833Shared CWE-116, CWE-94
CVE-2026-8795Shared CWE-116, CWE-94

Affected Assets

parall
jspdf
≤ 4.2.1

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.1.2
  • V1.2.1
  • V1.2.3
  • V1.3.1

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Developer testing and evaluation finds code paths that accept and execute externally influenced strings.

Input validation directly stops untrusted data from being used to construct executable code without neutralization.

Least privilege limits the damage an injected code fragment can perform once executed.

Requiring documented secure development standards and tools enforces use of safe code-generation APIs and escaping.

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 require proper output encoding to prevent injection and message malformation.

PR.DS-10 none match
prevents

PR.DS-10 protects runtime data confidentiality/integrity but has no bearing on neutralizing externally influenced input during code generation, so neither direction shows any preventive effect.

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.

prevents

Secure coding standards explicitly require correct output encoding and escaping to preserve message structure.

finds

Security testing can detect missing or incorrect encoding but does not itself implement the control.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates output encoding/escaping practices that directly prevent improper encoding.

prevents

Application security requirements include explicit rules for safe output handling and encoding.

prevents

Secure architecture principles reduce the likelihood of missing encoding but do not prescribe the actual technique.

none

Controls that restrict unauthorized or malicious code from being introduced via external networks or removable media limit opportunities for an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary code.

References