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PhantompdfApplication · Foxitsoftware

CVE-2020-10898

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 9.7.1.29511 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 · unedited
This 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 in PDF files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a read 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-10195.

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 confidence

This is a memory corruption vulnerability in Foxit PhantomPDF's handling of U3D (Universal 3D) objects embedded in PDF files. The lack of proper bounds validation allows an out-of-bounds read past the end of an allocated structure, which can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process. User interaction is required (opening a malicious PDF or visiting a malicious page).

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches for Foxit PhantomPDF; until then, disable U3D/3D content rendering or use enterprise malware detection to block suspicious PDF files with embedded 3D objects.

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
PhantompdfApplication
Affected:<= 9.7.1.29511
ReaderApplication
Affected:<= 9.7.1.29511

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Foxit product
    Check Program Files or Program Files (x86) for folders named 'Foxit PhantomPDF' or 'Foxit Reader'. Alternatively, open Control Panel > Programs and Features and look for Foxit PhantomPDF or Foxit Reader in the installed software list.
    Affected if Either Foxit PhantomPDF or Foxit Reader is installed on the system
  2. Get installed version number
    If using the executable, right-click on PhantomPDF.exe or FoxitReader.exe in the installation folder, select Properties, then view the 'Product version' or 'File version' field in the Details tab. Alternatively, open the Foxit application, go to Help > About to display the exact version number.
    Affected if The displayed version is 9.7.1.29511 or any version lower than this (for example, 9.7.0.x, 9.6.x, etc.)
  3. Verify U3D/3D rendering is enabled
    Open Foxit PhantomPDF or Reader, go to File > Preferences > 3D (or Preferences > Documents > PDF Rendering Options on some versions). Check if 'Enable 3D content rendering' or 'Render 3D objects' is checked/enabled. In some versions, this may be under File > Preferences > Page Display > Enable 3D content.
    Affected if 3D/U3D rendering or 3D content viewing is enabled in the application preferences

User is affected if Foxit PhantomPDF or Reader version 9.7.1.29511 or lower is installed AND 3D/U3D content rendering is currently enabled in the application settings.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 9.7.1.29511
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied patches for Foxit PhantomPDF; until then, disable U3D/3D content rendering or use enterprise malware detection to block suspicious PDF files with embedded 3D objects.

Fix this in Phantompdf Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation10.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
26.0 hours of engineering $4,520
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-10898 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data