Gotenberg is a Docker-powered stateless API for PDF generation. Prior to version 8.31.0 it validates ExifTool XML tags only against an exact match of the tag name "FileName". A crafted tag such as "System:FileName" bypasses this check, allowing ExifTool to treat the supplied value as a filename. The resulting file operation can rename, move, or change permissions of arbitrary files on the host. This gives a remote attacker the ability to manipulate files that may be critical to the host or other containers, potentially facilitating further compromise or data exfiltration. The weakness is a directory traversal and input validation flaw (CWE‑73 and CWE‑184).

This vulnerability affects all Gotenberg Docker containers running forks of Gotenberg prior to 8.31.0. Any deployment that exposes the public API without internal network isolation or hardened file system mounts is at risk.

The CVSS score of 8.2 marks this as high severity. No EPSS score is reported, and it is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. Exploitation requires only remote API access to the Gotenberg service, making the threat vector likely remote. An attacker can send a crafted ExifTool tag via the API to trigger the rename/move operation. Because this flaw permits arbitrary file manipulation, the potential for further privilege escalation or persistence exists if the attacker can then use the modified files.