dbcve.org
Pdf ShapingupApplication · Aplixio

CVE-2020-28969

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
Aplioxio PDF ShapingUp 5.0.0.139 contains a buffer overflow which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (DoS) via a crafted PDF file.

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 · moderate confidence

Aplioxio PDF ShapingUp 5.0.0.139 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in its PDF parsing logic. Attackers can trigger the overflow by embedding specially crafted content in a PDF file, causing the application to crash or become unstable.

MitigationAvoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources until a vendor patch is available. Consider using alternative PDF tools or applying input validation if the software supports it.

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
Pdf ShapingupApplication
Affected:= 5.0.0.139

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. Verify Aplixio PDF ShapingUp is installed
    Check your system for the presence of Aplixio PDF ShapingUp application. Look in installed programs list, start menu, or common installation directories.
    Affected if Aplixio PDF ShapingUp is found on the system
  2. Determine the installed version
    Open the application and navigate to Help > About, or right-click the executable file and select Properties > Details to view the version number. Alternatively, check the Windows Add/Remove Programs list or your software inventory for the exact version.
    Affected if version displays as 5.0.0.139
  3. Confirm PDF processing capability is in use
    Verify that the application has been used or configured to process PDF files. Check for recent PDF files opened or processed by the application.
    Affected if PDF files have been opened or processed with version 5.0.0.139

You are affected only if Aplixio PDF ShapingUp version 5.0.0.139 is installed and has been used to open or process PDF documents.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources until a vendor patch is available. Consider using alternative PDF tools or applying input validation if the software supports it.

Fix this in Pdf Shapingup Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,600
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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-2020-28969 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