CVE-2018-20309Network attack vector

Code execution via proxyGetAppEdition race condition

Published Jan 7, 2021 · Updated Aug 5, 2024

Race condition in Foxit Reader before 9.5 and PhantomPDF 8.x before 8.3.10 or 9.x before 9.5 allows attackers to execute code. The proxyGetAppEdition call races while processing a large integer or long string, triggering a stack buffer overflow or out-of-bounds read. Exploitation requires invoking the call with crafted input; successful corruption runs code in the application's context, while an overread exposes process memory.

CVSS severity8.1
High
EPSS probability0.82%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Race condition in Foxit Reader before 9.5 and PhantomPDF 8.x before 8.3.10 or 9.x before 9.5 allows attackers to execute code. The proxyGetAppEdition call races while processing a large integer or long string, triggering a stack buffer overflow or out-of-bounds read. Exploitation requires invoking the call with crafted input; successful corruption runs code in the application's context, while an overread exposes process memory.

The record

CVE
CVE-2018-20309
Published
Jan 7, 2021
Updated
Aug 5, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-125, CWE-787, CWE-362, T1203
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jan 7, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 5, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

8.1NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
6.8NIST NVDAV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-125Out-of-bounds Read
CWE-787Out-of-bounds Write
CWE-362Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
T1203Exploitation for Client Execution

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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