CVE-2019-11026 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Poppler 0.75.0's FontInfo.cc file contains a vulnerability in the scanFonts function, leading to infinite recursion and eventual error function calls.

Understanding CVE-2019-11026

The vulnerability in Poppler 0.75.0 can result in a denial of service (DoS) attack due to infinite recursion.

What is CVE-2019-11026?

The function scanFonts in the FontInfo.cc file of Poppler 0.75.0 exhibits a situation of infinite recursion, eventually resulting in a call to the error function in the Error.cc file.

The Impact of CVE-2019-11026

The vulnerability can be exploited to cause a denial of service (DoS) by triggering infinite recursion, leading to system instability or crashes.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-11026

Poppler 0.75.0's vulnerability can have severe consequences if exploited.

Vulnerability Description

The FontInfoScanner::scanFonts function in FontInfo.cc in Poppler 0.75.0 experiences infinite recursion, resulting in calls to the error function in Error.cc.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Not applicable
Vendor: Not applicable
Version: Not applicable

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited by triggering the scanFonts function in Poppler 0.75.0, causing it to enter an infinite recursion loop.

Mitigation and Prevention

It is crucial to take immediate steps to address and prevent the CVE-2019-11026 vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update Poppler to a patched version that addresses the infinite recursion issue.
Monitor system logs for any signs of abnormal behavior that could indicate exploitation.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update software and libraries to mitigate known vulnerabilities.
Implement proper input validation and error handling in code to prevent recursion-related issues.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches provided by Poppler to fix the infinite recursion vulnerability in version 0.75.0.