CVE-2026-42589CWE-78

Gotenberg: Unauthenticated RCE via ExifTool Metadata Key Injection

Critical · published May 14, 2026

CVSS v3.1
9.8
EPSS
4%
Percentile
89.6
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

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.

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.1
9.8 · CRITICAL
Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.03675 · 89.6th percentile
Weakness
CWE-78 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Published
2026-05-14T15:11Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 14 MAY 15:11Z
    Gotenberg: Unauthenticated RCE via ExifTool Metadata Key Injection
    cvelistv5