CVE-2026-42589 (GCVE-0-2026-42589)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-05-14 15:11 – Updated: 2026-05-14 18:59
VLAI Shadowserver Previdian
Title
Gotenberg: Unauthenticated RCE via ExifTool Metadata Key Injection
Summary
Gotenberg is a Docker-powered stateless API for PDF files. Prior to 8.31.0, Gotenberg's /forms/pdfengines/metadata/write HTTP endpoint accepts a JSON metadata object and passes its keys directly to ExifTool via the go-exiftool library. No validation is performed on key characters. A \n embedded in a JSON key splits the ExifTool stdin stream into a new argument line, allowing an attacker to inject arbitrary ExifTool flags — including -if, which evaluates Perl expressions. This achieves unauthenticated OS command execution in a single HTTP request. The response is HTTP 200 with a valid PDF, making the attack transparent to basic monitoring. This vulnerability is fixed in 8.31.0.
Severity
9.8 (Critical)
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
SSVC
Exploitation: poc Automatable: yes Technical Impact: total
CISA Coordinator · CISA-ADP (v2.0.3)
Decision recorded 2026-05-14 18:58 UTC
CWE
  • CWE-78 - Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Assigner
GitHub_M CNA under the mitre root
CNA scorecard C 72/100 over 7939 records in the last 180 days details
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version CPE status
gotenberg gotenberg Affected: < 8.31.0
guessed Create a notification for this product.
Shadowserver
Known Exploited Vulnerability - GCVE BCP-07 Compliant
KEV entry ID: 5eceb4bb-be26-4710-bce5-b089cd998a1a

Vulnerability ID: CVE-2026-42589

Status: Confirmed

Status Updated: 2026-11-01 00:00 UTC

Exploited: Yes

Characteristics
Severity: 98.0
Timestamps
First Seen: 2026-10-31
Asserted: 2026-10-31
Last Seen: 2026-11-01
Scope
Asset Exposure: ['internet-facing']
Notes: Affected: gotenberg / gotenberg | Class: web-server | Severity: Critical (CVSS 9.8) | IoT: no | In CISA KEV: no | Honeypot connections on 2026-11-01: 22
Evidence

Type: Honeypot

Signal: In The Wild Attempts

Confidence: 70%

Source: shadowserver

Details
1D 2
Iot no
Feed Shadowserver Foundation honeypot/exploited-vulnerabilities
Type http-scan
Class web-server
7D Avg 0
Vendor gotenberg
30D Avg 0
90D Avg 0
Product gotenberg
Cisa Kev no
Connections 22
Observation Date 2026-11-01
Vulnerability Class CVSS
Vulnerability Score 9.8
Vulnerability Severity Critical
References
Created: 2026-11-02 01:01 UTC | Updated: 2026-11-03 01:00 UTC
Previdian
Known Exploited Vulnerability - GCVE BCP-07 Compliant
KEV entry ID: 4ac17c60-d01d-48bf-b913-5402eaefaf9c

Vulnerability ID: CVE-2026-42589

Status: Confirmed

Status Updated: 2026-10-31 00:00 UTC

Exploited: Yes

Timestamps
First Seen: 2026-10-31
Asserted: 2026-10-31
Scope
Notes: Gotenberg: Unauthenticated RCE via ExifTool Metadata Key Injection | Affected: Gotenberg / gotenberg | CVSS: 9.8 (CRITICAL) | EPSS: 0.03013 | Used in malware: unknown | Not yet in CISA KEV: True
Evidence

Type: Public Report

Signal: Successful Exploitation

Confidence: 70%

Source: previdian

Details
Feed Previdian (previdian.com)
Title Gotenberg: Unauthenticated RCE via ExifTool Metadata Key Injection
Cve Id CVE-2026-42589
Vendor Gotenberg
Ghsa Id None
Product gotenberg
Added Date 2026-10-31T00:00:00.000Z
Cvss Score 9.8
Epss Score 0.03013
Previous Ids
Cvss Severity CRITICAL
Virtual Patch False
Cvss Estimated False
Epss Percentile 0.87417
Used In Malware unknown
Vulnerability Id CVE-2026-42589
Ahead Of Cisa Kev None
Not Yet In Cisa Kev True
References
Created: 2026-11-01 11:00 UTC | Updated: 2026-11-01 11:00 UTC
Show details on NVD website
To clipboard 

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