iTextPDF in iText 7 and up to (excluding 4.4.13.3) 7.1.17 allows command injection via a CompareTool filename that is mishandled on the gs (aka Ghostscript) command line in GhostscriptHelper.java.
CVE-2021-43113
This critical-severity CVE scores 9.8 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 5.2%, top 8% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 9.8
- EG Score
- 9.8(medium)
- EG Risk
- 61(Track)EG Risk 61/100SSVC: Track
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).
How it’s computedSeverity98% × 45%Exploitation5% × 40%Automatability100% × 15%Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence. - EPSS
- 91.6%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
December 15, 2021
Last Modified
February 25, 2026
Advisory Details (5)
Auto-updated Jun 9, 2026[SECURITY] [DSA 5323-1] libitext5-java security update
https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5323[SECURITY] [DLA 3273-1] libitext5-java security update
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/01/msg00013.htmliText 5.5.13.3
Patch available: itext/itextpdf 5.5.13.3
https://github.com/itext/itextpdf/releases/tag/5.5.13.3iText Core/Community 7.1.17
Patch available: itext/itext7 7.1.17
https://github.com/itext/itext7/releases/tag/7.1.17Affected Packages
(2 across 1 ecosystem)
Maven(2)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| com.itextpdf:itext7-core | 7.0.2 ... 7.1.9 (24 versions) | 7.1.17 | — |
| com.itextpdf:itextpdf | 5.0.6 ... 5.5.9 (33 versions) | 5.5.13.3 | — |
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 12× in last 7d / 49× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-07-23 14:16 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-12 14:40 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-06-11 13:58 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-26 06:23 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-25 10:46 UTCOSV refresh
Related CVEs(same CWE)
Same CWE
10 shownCWE-77
- CVE-2016-15057EG 9.9CRITICAL
- CVE-2014-5470EG 9.8EPSS 95%CRITICAL
- CVE-2013-2513EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2015-20108EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2015-10096NVD 5.0EG 9.8MEDIUM
- CVE-2017-20156NVD 5.5EG 9.8MEDIUM
- CVE-2016-20017EG 9.8 KEVEPSS 99%CRITICAL
- CVE-2016-4991EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2015-20107NVD 7.6EG 9.8EPSS 94%HIGH
- CVE-2014-4982EG 9.8EPSS 91%CRITICAL
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2021-43113?
When was CVE-2021-43113 disclosed?
Is CVE-2021-43113 actively exploited?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-43113?
How do I remediate CVE-2021-43113?
Dependency Blast Radius
See which npm, PyPI, Go, and Maven packages are affected by CVE-2021-43113
Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2021-43113?
EchelonGraph automatically scans your cloud infrastructure and maps CVE exposure using blast radius analysis.