What is CVE-2020-26538?

CVE-2020-26538 is a high-severity vulnerability in Foxitsoftware Foxit Reader, classified under Uncontrolled Search Path Element. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2020-10-02.

How severe is CVE-2020-26538?

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

Vulnerability in Foxitsoftware Foxit Reader

CVE-2020-26538

An issue was discovered in Foxit Reader and PhantomPDF before 10.1. It allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a Trojan horse taskkill.exe in the current working directory.

Published 2020-10-02 · 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: 0.005 (40.5th percentile), scored 2026-09-29.

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 41st percentile — 40.5% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.005 · newest: 0.005 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-427 — Uncontrolled Search Path Element

References

www.foxitsoftware.com/support/security-bulletins.html (Patch, Vendor Advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-26538?: CVE-2020-26538 is a high-severity vulnerability in Foxitsoftware Foxit Reader, classified under Uncontrolled Search Path Element. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2020-10-02.
How severe is CVE-2020-26538?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.