What is CVE-2020-15638?

CVE-2020-15638 is a high-severity vulnerability in Foxit Phantompdf, classified under Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type (Type Confusion). CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2020-08-20.

How severe is CVE-2020-15638?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.

Vulnerability in Foxit Phantompdf

CVE-2020-15638

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Foxit PhantomPDF 9.7.2.29539. 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 NodeProperties::InferReceiverMapsUnsafe method. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a type confusion condition. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-10950.

Published 2020-08-20 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.061 (93.2th percentile), scored 2026-09-29.

Low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, but still tracked. 93rd percentile — 93.2% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.061 · newest: 0.061 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-843 — Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type (Type Confusion)

References

www.foxitsoftware.com/support/security-bulletins.html (Vendor Advisory)
www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-933/ (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-15638?: CVE-2020-15638 is a high-severity vulnerability in Foxit Phantompdf, classified under Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type (Type Confusion). CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2020-08-20.
How severe is CVE-2020-15638?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.