# CVE-2025-50420: freedesktop Poppler infinite recursion in pdfseparate

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-50420-freedesktop-poppler-infinite-recursion-in-pdfseparate  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2025-08-04. Updated: 2026-07-05  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2025-50420 · Severity: medium · CVSS 6.5 · Published 2025-08-04

A vulnerability in the pdfseparate utility, part of the Poppler PDF processing library, can allow an attacker to crash the application. By providing a specially crafted PDF file, an attacker can cause the software to enter an infinite loop, leading to a denial-of-service state. This affects systems that use Poppler to automate the extraction of pages from PDF documents.

Technologies: [Freedesktop.Org Poppler](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/poppler). Vendors: [Freedesktop.Org](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/freedesktop-org).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2025-50420 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2025-50420 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2025-50420?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 6.5, published 4 August 2025.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Freedesktop.Org Poppler 25.04.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2025-50420?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2025-50420 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2025-50420?** Check whether you run Freedesktop.Org Poppler at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

A vulnerability classified as uncontrolled recursion (CWE-674) exists in the pdfseparate utility of Poppler version 25.04.0. The flaw is triggered when the utility processes a maliciously crafted PDF file designed to induce infinite recursion during parsing or separation. This is a remote attack vector requiring user interaction, specifically the opening or processing of the malicious file. Successful exploitation results in a stack overflow or exhaustion of resources, causing the utility to crash (Denial of Service). While the advisory focuses on version 25.04.0, NVD data suggests versions up to (but excluding) 25.07.0 may be affected.

## Affected products

- freedesktop.org Poppler 25.04.0

## Timeline

- 2025-08-04: disclosed
- 2025-08-04: advisory

## References

- [http://poppler.com/](http://poppler.com/)
- [https://github.com/Landw-hub/CVE-2025-50420](https://github.com/Landw-hub/CVE-2025-50420)

## Related threats

- [Poppler Splash backend integer overflow in tilingPatternFill](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-10118-poppler-splash-backend-integer-overflow-in-tilingpatternfill)