Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This issue can crash Foxit PDF Reader when a vulnerable version processes a specially crafted PDF. The known impact is denial of service, not confirmed data theft or remote code execution. Business urgency is highest where users frequently open untrusted PDFs.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted stability and productivity risk for PDF-heavy teams. Prioritize inventory and vendor-guided updates, but do not escalate as known exploited based on this evidence.
Technical view
CVE-2020-35990 is described as a buffer overflow in the cFilenameInit parameter of the browseForDoc function in Foxit PDF Reader 10.1.0.37527. The stated attacker model is local, with denial of service triggered through a crafted PDF file.
Likely exposure
Endpoints running Foxit PDF Reader 10.1.0.37527 are the clearest exposure. The source affected-product field is incomplete, so do not assume other Foxit versions are affected without vendor confirmation.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not cite active exploitation, and KEV is false. The described scenario requires a crafted PDF and local interaction or access. Evidence supports DoS only.
Researcher notes
Public details are sparse: no CVSS vector, CWE, patch version, or complete affected CPEs are provided in the bundle. Analysis should stay anchored to Foxit PDF Reader 10.1.0.37527 and DoS impact unless vendor data expands scope.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Foxit PDF Reader installations and versions.
- Check Foxit security bulletins for fixed versions or vendor mitigation.
- Upgrade affected Foxit Reader installations if vendor guidance identifies a fix.
- Limit opening untrusted PDFs on vulnerable endpoints.
- Use endpoint controls to monitor repeated Foxit Reader crashes.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Foxit PDF Reader 10.1.0.37527 exists in the environment.
- Review software inventory for unmanaged or legacy Foxit installs.
- Check endpoint telemetry for Foxit Reader crashes tied to PDF handling.
- Verify remediated systems no longer run the vulnerable version.
- Document any compensating controls for systems awaiting update.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2020-35990 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
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.
SSVC decision data
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.foxitsoftware.com/support/security-bulletins.phpCVE reference, mitre
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.