CVE-2020-6092
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2020-6092 is an integer overflow vulnerability in Nitro Pro PDF software that allows arbitrary code execution when a user opens a malicious PDF file. Attackers can craft PDFs to exploit this vulnerability and gain control of affected systems. Users of Nitro Pro 13.9.1.155 are primarily affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Nitro Pro
📦 What is this software?
Nitro Pro by Gonitro
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control, data theft, ransomware deployment, and lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Malware installation leading to data exfiltration, credential theft, or system disruption for individual users who open malicious PDFs.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper email filtering, user awareness training, and application sandboxing preventing successful exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious PDF). Technical details and proof-of-concept are publicly available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 13.13.2.242 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.gonitro.com/nps/security/updates
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Nitro Pro. 2. Go to Help > Check for Updates. 3. Follow prompts to install latest version. 4. Restart computer after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Nitro Pro PDF handling
windowsChange default PDF handler to another application to prevent automatic opening in Nitro Pro
Control Panel > Default Programs > Set Default Programs > Select alternative PDF viewer
Application sandboxing
windowsRun Nitro Pro in restricted environment to limit potential damage
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict email filtering to block PDF attachments from untrusted sources
- Deploy application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized code execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Nitro Pro version: Open Nitro Pro > Help > About Nitro Pro. If version is 13.9.1.155, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
wmic product where name="Nitro Pro" get versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 13.13.2.242 or later in Help > About Nitro Pro after update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected Nitro Pro crashes
- Process creation from NitroPro.exe
- Suspicious file access patterns
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from Nitro Pro to unknown IPs
- DNS requests for suspicious domains after PDF opening
SIEM Query:
process_name="NitroPro.exe" AND (event_id=1000 OR parent_process!="explorer.exe")