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CVE Record

CVE-2020-23872: A NULL pointer dereference in the function TextPage::restoreState of pdf2xml v2.0 allows attackers to cause...

A NULL pointer dereference in the function TextPage::restoreState of pdf2xml v2.0 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (DoS).

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2020-23872 is a crash bug in pdf2xml v2.0. A specially crafted PDF can trigger a NULL pointer dereference and stop the conversion process, causing denial of service. The provided sources do not show data theft, code execution, CVSS scoring, or confirmed active exploitation.

Executive priority

Treat this as a targeted availability risk for systems that process PDFs. Prioritize if pdf2xml v2.0 is internet-facing, used in customer workflows, or part of critical document operations. If not present, record non-exposure and monitor upstream guidance.

Technical view

The CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference in TextPage::restoreState in pdf2xml v2.0. The documented impact is denial of service. Public references include a GitHub issue and a PoC repository, but the bundle does not identify CPEs, CWE, CVSS metrics, fixed versions, or vendor mitigation instructions.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely where pdf2xml v2.0 processes untrusted or externally supplied PDFs, such as document conversion services, ingestion pipelines, or automated analysis jobs. The source bundle lists affected product metadata as incomplete, so teams must confirm actual pdf2xml usage locally.

Exploitation context

A public PoC reference exists, but the source bundle does not provide evidence of active exploitation and KEV is false. The known outcome is service disruption through process crash, not confirmed remote code execution or privilege escalation.

Researcher notes

Evidence is sparse: no CVSS, CWE, CPE, fixed release, or vendor advisory is included. The core claim is limited to NULL pointer dereference denial of service in pdf2xml v2.0. Avoid expanding impact beyond crash-based DoS without additional primary-source confirmation.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify and reduce use of pdf2xml v2.0 on untrusted PDFs.
  • Check upstream project guidance for fixed versions or maintainer recommendations.
  • Run PDF conversion in isolated, least-privileged worker environments.
  • Apply queue limits, timeouts, restart controls, and monitoring around conversion jobs.
  • Restrict externally supplied PDFs until exposure is understood.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory services, containers, and build dependencies for pdf2xml v2.0.
  • Confirm whether any public-facing workflow accepts PDFs for conversion.
  • Review crash logs for failures in pdf2xml or TextPage::restoreState.
  • Check the referenced GitHub issue for project-specific resolution status.
  • Validate mitigations in a non-production test environment.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
4

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
3Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.