PDF::WebKit versions through 1.2 for Perl allow argument injection into wkhtmltopdf via meta tags in the source document
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-16770 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | CPANSec |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-08-13 00:17:31 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-08-13 13:17:46 UTC |
| Description | PDF::WebKit versions through 1.2 for Perl allow argument injection into wkhtmltopdf via meta tags in the source document. For an HTML string or file source, the constructor collects every <meta name="pdf-webkit-KEY" content="VALUE"> element in the document head through _pdf_webkit_meta_tags and turns each one into a wkhtmltopdf command line option. KEY is normalized to an option name matching --[a-z0-9-]+ but is not checked against an allow list, VALUE is passed through unchanged as the argument that follows it, and a VALUE of "yes" emits the option as a bare flag. BUILD merges the meta derived options last, so they also override the module defaults and the options passed to new. Switches such as --enable-local-file-access and --cookie-jar are reachable this way. The renderer is executed with an argument list rather than a shell command, so this is argument injection and not shell injection. Any caller that renders untrusted HTML lets the document choose the renderer's options and override those set by the application, including options that read local files into the resulting PDF or write to a chosen path. A URL source is not scanned, and the scan is skipped when XML::LibXML, a recommended dependency, is not installed. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 9.8 CRITICAL from ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS: 0.001840000 probability, percentile 0.082410000 (date 2026-08-13)
Problem Types: CWE-88 | CWE-88 CWE-88 Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection')
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | ADP | DECLARED | 9.8 | CRITICAL | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| 3.1 | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | Secondary | 9.8 | CRITICAL | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vendor Declared Affected Products
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| wkhtmltopdf.org/status.html | 9b29abf9-4ab0-4765-b253-1875cd9b441e | wkhtmltopdf.org | |
| security.metacpan.org/patches/P/PDF-WebKit/1.2/CVE-2026-16770-r1.patch | 9b29abf9-4ab0-4765-b253-1875cd9b441e | security.metacpan.org | |
| github.com/kingpong/perl-PDF-WebKit/issues/9 | 9b29abf9-4ab0-4765-b253-1875cd9b441e | github.com | |
| www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/08/13/2 | af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 | www.openwall.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
Additional Advisory Data
Workarounds
CNA: No fixed release is available. Apply the patch, which restricts the options taken from meta tags to an allow list of presentational switches with checked values, extensible through the new allowed_meta_options configuration attribute, and merges them before the options passed to new rather than after. Otherwise, applications that render untrusted HTML should remove meta elements whose name attribute begins with the configured meta_tag_prefix (default "pdf-webkit-") before passing the document to new. Note that the wkhtmltopdf project is no longer being developed, and users of this package should migrate to alternative solutions.