Informatics Educational Institutions & Programs
 | |
 XpdfReader 4.0 screenshot | |
| Developer(s) | Glyph & Cog |
|---|---|
| Initial release | December 12, 1995 |
| Stable release | 4.04[1] 
/ 18 April 2022 |
| Operating system | Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD, OpenVMS |
| Type | PDF viewer |
| License | GPL-2.0-only[2] or GPL-3.0-only[3] or proprietary[4][5] |
| Website | xpdfreader |
Xpdf is a free and open-source PDF viewer and toolkit based on the Qt framework.[4] Versions prior to 4.00 were written for the X Window System and Motif.[6]
Functions
Xpdf runs on nearly any Unix-like operating system. Binaries are also available for Windows. Xpdf can decode LZW and read encrypted PDFs. The official version obeys the DRM restrictions of PDF files,[7] which can prevent copying, printing, or converting some PDF files.[4] There are patches that make Xpdf ignore these DRM restrictions,[8]; the Debian distribution for example has these patches in place by default.[9]
Xpdf includes several programs that don't need an X Window System, including some that extract images from PDF files or convert PDF to PostScript or text. These programs run on DOS, Windows, Linux and Unix.[4]
Xpdf is also used as a back-end for other PDF readers frontends such as KPDF and GPDF,[6] and its engine, without the X11 display components, is used for PDF viewers including BePDF on BeOS, '!PDF' on RISC OS, on PalmPDF[10] on Palm OS[4] and on Windows Mobile.[11]
Two versions exist for AmigaOS. Xpdf needs a limited version of an X11 engine called Cygnix on the host system. AmigaOS 4 included AmiPDF, a PDF viewer based on 3.01 version of the Xpdf. However both Apdf and AmiPDF are native and need no X11.
xpdf-utils
The associated package "xpdf-utils" or "poppler-utils" contains tools such as pdftotext and pdfimages.
Exploit
A vulnerability in the Xpdf implementation of the JBIG2 file format, re-used in Apple's iOS phone operating software, was used by the Pegasus spyware to implement a zero-click attack on iPhones by constructing an emulated computer architecture inside a JBIG2 stream. Apple fixed this "FORCEDENTRY" vulnerability in iOS 14.8 in September 2021.[12]
See also
- Poppler, a GPL-licensed fork of the xpdf-3.0 rendering library designed for easier reuse in other programs
- List of PDF software
Notes and references
- ^ "Xpdf 4.04 release". 18 April 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ about on foolabs.com "Xpdf is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), version 2. In my opinion, the GPL is a convoluted, confusing, ambiguous mess. But it's also pervasive, and I'm sick of arguing. And even if it is confusing, the basic idea is good. "
- ^ xpdf xpdf 3.03 "The license was changed from GPLv2 to dual v2/v3 licensing."
- ^ a b c d e Xpdf website
- ^ Glyph & Cog, LLC: Xpdf
- ^ a b Polzer, Leslie (2006-11-28). "A survey of Linux PDF viewers". SourceForge, Inc. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
- ^ Xpdf - Cracking
- ^ Generic Xpdf Patch Instructions
- ^ Okular, Debian, and copy restrictions
- ^ PalmPDF
- ^ PocketXpdf
- ^ Beer, Ian; Groß, Samuel (2021-12-15). "Project Zero: A deep dive into an NSO zero-click iMessage exploit: Remote Code Execution". Google Project Zero. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
Sources
- Steward, Sid. PDF Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools. O'Reilly. ISBN 0-596-00655-1.
