Description
Dompdf is an HTML to PDF converter for PHP. In versions 3.15 and prior, the validateLocalUri() method enforces chroot boundaries with a strpos() prefix check after normalizing paths with realpath() . Because normalization strips the trailing directory separator from $chrootPath , the check only verifies that $chrootPath is a string prefix of $realfile, so a chroot of /var/www also matches sibling directories like /var/www2 , /var/www-admin, or /var/www_backup. An attacker who controls part of the rendered HTML could exploit this to escape the chroot and read sensitive files outside the allowed directory. This issue has been fixed in version 3.16.
Affected products
dompdf_project: dompdf
References3
- github.com/dompdf/dompdf/security/advisories/GHSA-wvh6-f5jh-8gw4 ExploitThird Party Advisory
- github.com/dompdf/dompdf/security/advisories/GHSA-wvh6-f5jh-8gw4 ExploitThird Party Advisory
- github.com/dompdf/dompdf/releases/tag/v3.1.6 Release Notes
Metrics
- CVSS 3.1
-
7.5
HIGH
Score source: NVD
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - CVSS 4.0
-
2.3
LOW
Score source: CNA
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X - EPSS — exploit probability
- 0% percentile: 40 · as of 13 November 2026
- CWE
- CWE-20
Could this be exploited in your environment?
A patch closes the known hole. A penetration test shows what an attacker can still reach — with proof.