Description
Dompdf is an HTML to PDF converter for PHP. Versions 3.15 and prior are vulnerable to a Denial of Service (DoS) attack via resource exhaustion. An attacker can crash the PHP process by providing a specially crafted HTML document containing a single image with massive dimensions (e.g., 30,000x30,000 pixels). While Dompdf implements internal checks to validate image dimensions, these can be bypassed by using a high-entropy image (such as random noise) encoded in Base64 and wrapped in specific CSS containers. The vulnerability exists because the dimension validation happens early, but the resource allocation for calculating the object's bounding box and internal buffers during the rendering phase does not strictly limit the cumulative CPU time or memory usage for a single object that has passed the initial check. An unauthenticated remote attacker can cause a complete Denial of Service on the web server by submitting a crafted HTML string. This affects any application that allows users to provide HTML content or URLs that are subsequently converted to PDF using Dompdf. This issue has been fixed in version 3.16.
Affected products
dompdf_project: dompdf
References5
- github.com/dompdf/dompdf/security/advisories/GHSA-f5gf-2cj8-52g2 ExploitVendor Advisory
- github.com/dompdf/dompdf/security/advisories/GHSA-f5gf-2cj8-52g2 ExploitVendor Advisory
- github.com/dompdf/dompdf/commit/7c65e7bbeccf146b2409740405af739… Patch
- github.com/dompdf/dompdf/commit/89164eaabe0bb50c462f0b24f740044… Patch
- 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:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 4.0
-
6.3
MEDIUM
Score source: CNA
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/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
- 1% percentile: 60 · as of 13 November 2026
- CWE
- CWE-400
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.