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ReaderApplication · Foxitsoftware

CVE-2020-8850

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-02-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 9.7.0.29478 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 Reader 9.7.0.29455. 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 JPEG2000 files. 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-9415.

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Foxit Reader 9.7.0.29455 when processing JPEG2000 files. The application fails to properly validate user-supplied data during parsing, allowing a write past the end of an allocated buffer. Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user process.

MitigationUsers should avoid opening untrusted PDF or JPEG2000 files and update Foxit Reader to the latest patched version.

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
ReaderApplication
Affected:<= 9.7.0.29478
PhantompdfApplication
Affected:<= 9.7.0.29455

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 for Foxit Reader or Foxit PhantomPDF in installed programs (Control Panel > Programs and Features, or query registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall or HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall)
    Affected if Foxit Reader version 9.7.0.29478 or lower, or Foxit PhantomPDF version 9.7.0.29455 or lower is installed
  2. Determine installed version number
    Right-click the Foxit Reader/PhantomPDF executable, select Properties, then check the Details tab for Product Version, or run: "C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit Reader\FoxitReader.exe" -v (if available)
    Affected if Version number falls within the affected ranges (Reader <= 9.7.0.29478, PhantomPDF <= 9.7.0.29455)
  3. Confirm JPEG2000 support is enabled
    Open Foxit Reader/PhantomPDF, go to File > Preferences > File Association, or check if the application can open and render JPEG2000 (.jp2, .jpx) images embedded in PDFs. The vulnerability triggers when processing JPEG2000 data within PDF files.
    Affected if JPEG2000 parsing capability is enabled and the application can process JPEG2000 images in PDFs
  4. Assess risk from untrusted files
    Review user behavior and file handling policies: check if users routinely open PDF files from untrusted or unknown sources, or inspect recent PDF files opened (check recent documents or Windows Jump Lists for Foxit-associated files)
    Affected if Users open PDF files from untrusted sources or the environment lacks controls to prevent opening of untrusted JPEG2000-containing PDFs

Environment is affected if Foxit Reader version 9.7.0.29478 or lower, or Foxit PhantomPDF version 9.7.0.29455 or lower is installed AND the application processes JPEG2000 files from potentially untrusted sources.

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 9.7.0.29478
Interim mitigation

Users should avoid opening untrusted PDF or JPEG2000 files and update Foxit Reader to the latest patched version.

Fix this in Reader Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

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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-2020-8850 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