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.
Advisories
| Source | ID | Title |
|---|---|---|
Github GHSA |
GHSA-rqgh-gxv4-6657 | Gotenberg has Unauthenticated RCE via ExifTool Metadata Key Injection |
Fixes
Solution
No solution given by the vendor.
Workaround
No workaround given by the vendor.
References
History
Thu, 14 May 2026 17:45:00 +0000
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| First Time appeared |
Gotenberg
Gotenberg gotenberg |
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| Vendors & Products |
Gotenberg
Gotenberg gotenberg |
Thu, 14 May 2026 16:15:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | 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. | |
| Title | Gotenberg: Unauthenticated RCE via ExifTool Metadata Key Injection | |
| Weaknesses | CWE-78 | |
| References |
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| Metrics |
cvssV3_1
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Projects
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Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: GitHub_M
Published:
Updated: 2026-05-14T18:59:21.125Z
Reserved: 2026-04-29T00:31:15.724Z
Link: CVE-2026-42589
No data.
Status : Awaiting Analysis
Published: 2026-05-14T16:16:21.867
Modified: 2026-05-14T16:28:04.847
Link: CVE-2026-42589
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
Updated: 2026-05-14T17:30:15Z
Weaknesses
Github GHSA