How severe is CVE-2020-21896?

CVE-2020-21896 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-21896 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (36th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-21896?

CVE-2020-21896 affects Artifex Mupdf. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-21896?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2020-21896 published?

CVE-2020-21896 was published on 2023-08-22 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-21896

CVE-2020-21896 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Artifex Mupdf with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-416.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (36th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-416
Affected product: Artifex Mupdf
Published: 2023-08-22
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A Use After Free vulnerability in svg_dev_text_span_as_paths_defs function in source/fitz/svg-device.c in Artifex Software MuPDF 1.16.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via opening of a crafted PDF file.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-21896?: A Use After Free vulnerability in svg_dev_text_span_as_paths_defs function in source/fitz/svg-device.c in Artifex Software MuPDF 1.16.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via opening of a crafted PDF file.
How severe is CVE-2020-21896?: CVE-2020-21896 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-21896 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (36th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-21896?: CVE-2020-21896 affects Artifex Mupdf. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-21896?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-21896 published?: CVE-2020-21896 was published on 2023-08-22 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:artifex:mupdf:1.16.0:-:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Artifex Mupdf

CVE-2019-7321 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Usage of an uninitialized variable in the function fz_load_jpeg in Artifex MuPDF 1.14 can result in a heap overflow…
CVE-2016-6525 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Heap-based buffer overflow in the pdf_load_mesh_params function in pdf/pdf-shade.c in MuPDF allows remote attackers to…
CVE-2011-0341 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): Stack-based buffer overflow in the pdfmoz_onmouse function in apps/mozilla/moz_main.c in the MuPDF plug-in 2008.09.02…
CVE-2020-16600 — High (CVSS 7.8): A Use After Free vulnerability exists in Artifex Software, Inc. MuPDF library 1.17.0-rc1 and earlier when a valid page…
CVE-2012-5340 — High (CVSS 7.8): SumatraPDF 2.1.1/MuPDF 1.0 allows remote attackers to cause an Integer Overflow in the lex_number() function via a…
CVE-2019-13290 — High (CVSS 7.8): Artifex MuPDF 1.15.0 has a heap-based buffer overflow in fz_append_display_node located at fitz/list-device.c, allowing…

All CVEs affecting Artifex Mupdf →

Other CWE-416 (Use After Free) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-13782 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Use after free in Browser in Google Chrome prior to 150.0.7871.47 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the…
CVE-2026-4725 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Sandbox escape due to use-after-free in the Graphics: Canvas2D component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 149…
CVE-2026-4688 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Sandbox escape due to use-after-free in the Disability Access APIs component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox…
CVE-2025-24085 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3,…
CVE-2024-43102 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Concurrent removals of certain anonymous shared memory mappings by using the UMTX_SHM_DESTROY sub-request of…
CVE-2021-32495 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Radare2 has a use-after-free vulnerability in pyc parser's get_none_object function. Attacker can read freed memory…

Browse all CWE-416 (Use After Free) vulnerabilities →