CVE-2026-17431: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-56v3-4wcg-g28h
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CVSS 6.1
CWE-73
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-17431 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-73: External Control of File Name or Path) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product allows user input to control or influence paths or file names that are used in filesystem operations.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-17431 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-17431
GHSA Identifier GHSA-56v3-4wcg-g28h
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.1
CWE Classification CWE-73: External Control of File Name or Path
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2026-17431

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-17431, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-73: External Control of File Name or Path, where the product allows user input to control or influence paths or file names that are used in filesystem operations. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

PDF::WebKit versions through 1.2 for Perl allow OS command injection via a 2-arg open() of the output path in to_pdf and of stylesheet paths in _style_tag_for. to_pdf reads the generated PDF back from its path argument, and _style_tag_for reads each entry of the stylesheets list, by assigning the path to a local @ARGV and reading it with the diamond operator, which opens each @ARGV element with Perl's 2-arg open(). A value that begins or ends with a pipe ("| cmd", "cmd |") is run as a command rather than opened as a file, and one that begins with a redirect ("> path", ">> path") opens that path for write or append. to_file forwards its path argument to to_pdf and reaches the same read. Any caller that forwards untrusted input as the output path or as a stylesheets entry can run a command under the process UID; with the "cmd |" form the command's output is returned in place of the PDF, and with the "> path" form the named file is truncated. Stylesheets may only be added to an HTML source, so a URL or file source exposes the output path alone.

References

NVD — CVE-2026-17431 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-17431
Software Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/kingpong/perl-PDF-WebKit/issues/8
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://security.metacpan.org/patches/P/PDF-WebKit/1.2/CVE-2026-17431-r1.patch
wkhtmltopdf.org/status.html WEB
https://wkhtmltopdf.org/status.html
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/08/13/3

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-17431?
CVE-2026-17431 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-73: External Control of File Name or Path.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-17431?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-17431?
CVE-2026-17431 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-17431?
CVE-2026-17431 is classified under CWE-73: External Control of File Name or Path (The product allows user input to control or influence paths or file names that are used in filesystem operations.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-17431?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-56v3-4wcg-g28h",
  "modified" : "2026-08-13T15:34:29Z",
  "published" : "2026-08-13T00:31:28Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-17431" ],
  "details" : "PDF::WebKit versions through 1.2 for Perl allow OS command injection via a 2-arg open() of the output path in to_pdf and of stylesheet paths in _style_tag_for.\n\nto_pdf reads the generated PDF back from its path argument, and _style_tag_for reads each entry of the stylesheets list, by assigning the path to a local @ARGV and reading it with the diamond operator, which opens each @ARGV element with Perl's 2-arg open(). A value that begins or ends with a pipe (\"| cmd\", \"cmd |\") is run as a command rather than opened as a file, and one that begins with a redirect (\"> path\", \">> path\") opens that path for write or append. to_file forwards its path argument to to_pdf and reaches the same read.\n\nAny caller that forwards untrusted input as the output path or as a stylesheets entry can run a command under the process UID; with the \"cmd |\" form the command's output is returned in place of the PDF, and with the \"> path\" form the named file is truncated. Stylesheets may only be added to an HTML source, so a URL or file source exposes the output path alone.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-17431"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kingpong/perl-PDF-WebKit/issues/8"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.metacpan.org/patches/P/PDF-WebKit/1.2/CVE-2026-17431-r1.patch"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://wkhtmltopdf.org/status.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/08/13/3"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-73" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-08-13T00:17:31Z"
  }
}