CVE-2020-10899
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 Reader 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 processing of XFA templates. The issue results from the lack of validating the existence of an object prior to performing operations on the object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-10132.
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 confidenceThis is a use-after-free or null pointer dereference vulnerability in Foxit Reader's XFA (XML Forms Architecture) template processing. The vulnerability results from the lack of validating the existence of an object prior to performing operations on it, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process via a maliciously crafted PDF file.
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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Identify Foxit Reader installation and versionOpen Foxit Reader, go to Help > About, or right-click the executable and select Properties > Details to view the Product VersionAffected if The version listed is 9.7.1.29511 or lower (any version <= 9.7.1.29511)
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Identify PhantomPDF installation and versionOpen PhantomPDF, go to Help > About, or check the executable properties in the installation directory for Product VersionAffected if The version listed is 9.7.1.29511 or lower (any version <= 9.7.1.29511)
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Check if XFA form processing is enabledIn Foxit Reader/PhantomPDF, go to File > Preferences > Forms and verify if XFA (XML Forms Architecture) support is enabled or if forms are set to auto-detectAffected if XFA forms are enabled or the application automatically processes XFA templates from PDF files
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Inspect recently opened PDF files for XFA contentOpen suspicious PDF files in a hex editor or use a PDF parsing tool to look for 'xfa' XML namespace declarations or xfa:data elements within the PDF structureAffected if The PDF contains XFA template data and is opened in a vulnerable version of Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF
You are affected if Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF version is 9.7.1.29511 or lower AND you open PDF files containing XFA form templates from untrusted sources.
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 dataUpgrade Foxit Reader to a version that includes the security patch for CVE-2020-10899, or ensure users do not open untrusted PDF files from unknown sources.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-10899 — 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-2020-10899 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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- 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
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