CVE-2020-10893
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThis vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Foxit PhantomPDF 9.7.1.29511. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the handling of U3D objects embedded in a PDF. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a write past the end of an allocated structure. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-10189.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Foxit PhantomPDF 9.7.1.29511 due to improper validation of user-supplied data when parsing U3D (3D) objects embedded in PDF files. The flaw allows writing past the end of an allocated structure, enabling remote code execution in the context of the current process when a user opens a malicious PDF or visits a malicious webpage.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 9.7.1.29511<= 9.7.1.29511CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Foxit PhantomPDF or Reader is installedCheck for the application in the system: look for 'Foxit PhantomPDF' or 'Foxit Reader' in Program Files (C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\) or check the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for entries containing 'Foxit'.Affected if Either Foxit PhantomPDF or Foxit Reader is present on the system.
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Identify the installed version of Foxit softwareRight-click the Foxit executable (typically PhantomPDF.exe or Reader.exe) in Program Files, select Properties, and check the 'File version' or 'Product version' field on the Details tab. Alternatively, run 'Get-ItemProperty' in PowerShell for the installed application registry key.Affected if The displayed version number is 9.7.1.29511 or any earlier version.
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Confirm the exact product name and buildOpen the Foxit application, go to Help > About Foxit PhantomPDF (or Reader) to see the full build number including the 9.7.1.29511 format. Compare this build string exactly against the affected version.Affected if The build shows 9.7.1.29511 or lower, confirming the unpatched version.
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Verify the application can process PDF files with 3D contentThe vulnerability triggers when opening PDFs containing U3D (3D) objects. Check if the installed Foxit version handles U3D content by default - this is default behavior in unpatched versions. No specific setting needs to be enabled for the flaw to apply; the application parses U3D automatically.Affected if The application processes PDF files and the vulnerability exists in the U3D parsing component (present by default in affected versions).
A user is affected if Foxit PhantomPDF or Reader version 9.7.1.29511 or any earlier version is installed and the application can open PDF files containing U3D (3D) objects.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply the vendor-supplied patch or update Foxit PhantomPDF to the latest version. Avoid opening untrusted PDF files and consider disabling JavaScript execution in the PDF reader as a defense-in-depth measure.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-10893 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-10893 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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