CVE-2020-8844
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 9.6.0.25114. 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 parsing of JPEG files within CovertToPDF. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in an integer overflow before writing to memory. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-9102.
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 confidenceInteger overflow vulnerability in Foxit Reader's CovertToPDF feature when parsing JPEG files. The lack of proper validation of user-supplied data during JPEG parsing allows an integer overflow to occur before a memory write operation, enabling arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process. Requires user to open a malicious PDF or visit a malicious page.
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<= 9.7.0.29478<= 9.7.0.29455CVSS 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.
-
Identify installed Foxit productCheck for Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF executables in common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit Reader\ or C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\PhantomPDF\, or look for entries in Add/Remove ProgramsAffected if Either Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF is installed on the system
-
Determine installed version numberRight-click the Foxit executable (FoxitReader.exe or PhantomPDF.exe), select Properties, and view the Details tab for the Product version field, or use the command: dir "C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\*\*.exe" /sAffected if The version cannot be determined or is lower than the fixed versions
-
Compare Reader version to affected rangeIf Foxit Reader is installed, compare the Product version to 9.7.0.29478. Versions at or below this value are within the affected rangeAffected if Foxit Reader version is 9.7.0.29478 or lower
-
Compare PhantomPDF version to affected rangeIf PhantomPDF is installed, compare the Product version to 9.7.0.29455. Versions at or below this value are within the affected rangeAffected if PhantomPDF version is 9.7.0.29455 or lower
-
Assess exposure to malicious PDF filesDetermine if the system user opens PDF files from external or untrusted sources, as the vulnerability requires opening a maliciously crafted PDF file that triggers the ConvertToPDF JPEG parsingAffected if Users open PDF files from untrusted sources and the Foxit version is within the affected range
The system is affected if Foxit Reader version 9.7.0.29478 or lower, or PhantomPDF version 9.7.0.29455 or lower, is installed and users may open PDF files 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 dataUpdate Foxit Reader to the latest patched version. Until patched, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and disable automatic conversion features.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,904.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-8844 — 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-2020-8844 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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