Skip to main content

Foxit Reader CVE-2020-28203

MEDIUM
NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)
2020-12-15 cve@mitre.org
Denial Of Service Null Pointer Dereference Foxit Reader Phantompdf Foxitsoftware
5.5
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
View

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
CWE-476
OWASP Top 10:2025
A10:2025 - Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions
ASVS 5.0
V16 - Security Logging and Error Handling Null pointer safety, defensive checks
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Impact

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Sign in to read
Impact

CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). Attack characteristics: local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required.
Exploit ScenarioDerived

A local attacker with access to the system could crash the application by dereferencing a null pointer. No authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 1.9% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAI

An issue was discovered in Foxit Reader and PhantomPDF 10.1.0.37527 and earlier. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Check pointers before dereferencing. Use static analysis tools to detect null pointer paths.

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Sign in to check
Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified as NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476), which allows attackers to crash the application by dereferencing a null pointer. An issue was discovered in Foxit Reader and PhantomPDF 10.1.0.37527 and earlier. There is a null pointer access/dereference while opening a crafted PDF file, leading the application to crash (denial of service). Affected products include: Foxitsoftware Foxit Reader, Foxitsoftware Phantompdf.

Know when Foxit Reader gets its next vulnerability

  • Watch products and get an email when something new is published
  • Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
Continue with Google Continue with GitHub

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 5.5 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

DescriptionNVD

An issue was discovered in Foxit Reader and PhantomPDF 10.1.0.37527 and earlier. There is a null pointer access/dereference while opening a crafted PDF file, leading the application to crash (denial of service).

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
1.9%
Top 23% exploitable
Data Quality
2 sources
Confidence: Low
NVD CVE.org EPSS

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 1.9%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

30
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +2
CVSS: +28
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Null Pointer Dereference MEDIUM

A null pointer dereference occurs when a program attempts to access memory through a pointer that has been set to NULL (address 0x0).

Denial of Service MEDIUM

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.

Affected Products (CPE)NVD

cpe:2.3:a:foxitsoftware:foxit_reader:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:foxitsoftware:phantompdf:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More in Foxit Reader

View all
CVE-2015-2790 MEDIUM POC
4.3 Mar 30

Foxit Reader, Enterprise Reader, and PhantomPDF before 7.1 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory c
CVE-2018-9958 HIGH POC
8.8 May 17

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable installations of Foxit Reader 9.0.1.1
CVE-2017-10952 HIGH POC
8.8 Aug 29

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable installations of Foxit Reader 8.2.0.2
CVE-2018-9948 MEDIUM POC
6.5 May 17

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to disclose sensitive information on vulnerable installations of Foxit Reader
CVE-2023-40194 HIGH POC
8.8 Nov 27

An arbitrary file creation vulnerability exists in the Javascript exportDataObject API of Foxit Reader 12.1.3.15356 due

CVE-2023-39542 HIGH POC
8.8 Nov 27

A code execution vulnerability exists in the Javascript saveAs API of Foxit Reader 12.1.3.15356. Rated high severity (CV
CVE-2023-38573 HIGH POC
8.8 Nov 27

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the way Foxit Reader 12.1.2.15356 handles a signature field. Rated high severit
CVE-2023-35985 HIGH POC
8.8 Nov 27

An arbitrary file creation vulnerability exists in the Javascript exportDataObject API of Foxit Reader 12.1.3.15356 due

CVE-2023-32616 HIGH POC
8.8 Nov 27

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the way Foxit Reader 12.1.2.15356 handles 3D annotations. Rated high severity (
CVE-2021-21822 HIGH POC
8.8 May 10

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the JavaScript engine of Foxit Software’s PDF Reader, version 10.1.3.37598. Rat
CVE-2020-13547 HIGH POC
8.8 Dec 22

A type confusion vulnerability exists in the JavaScript engine of Foxit Software’s Foxit PDF Reader, version 10.1.0.3752
CVE-2020-13570 HIGH POC
8.8 Dec 22

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the JavaScript engine of Foxit Software’s PDF Reader, version 10.1.0.37527. Rat

Same weakness CWE-476 – NULL Pointer Dereference

View all
CVE-2016-0742 HIGH
7.5
CVE-2014-3470 MEDIUM
4.3
CVE-2020-1967 HIGH POC
7.5
CVE-2017-3730 HIGH POC
7.5
CVE-2017-3169 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2016-4957 HIGH
7.5
CVE-2021-3449 MEDIUM
5.9
CVE-2015-3194 HIGH
7.5

Same technique Denial Of Service

View all
CVE-2015-5119 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2011-2462 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2011-0611 HIGH POC
8.8
CVE-2012-1889 HIGH POC
8.8
CVE-2012-0507 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2014-1761 HIGH POC
7.8
CVE-2015-5122 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2011-0609 HIGH POC
7.8

References

Advisories & patches
ADVISORY https://www.foxitsoftware.com/support/security-bulletins.php

Search Externally

GitHub PoC Exploit-DB PacketStorm Snyk Rapid7 Nuclei Templates Trickest PoC
Back

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy