# CVE-2020-6146: Memory corruption in Nitro Pro

> Heap-based buffer overflow in Nitro Pro allows remote code execution via a specially crafted PDF document.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 16 Sep 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-vqh2-672q-h5xp

## What is CVE-2020-6146?

CVE-2020-6146 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Nitro Pro, published on 16 Sep 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

An exploitable code execution vulnerability exists in the rendering functionality of Nitro Pro 13.13.2.242 and 13.16.2.300. When drawing the contents of a page and selecting the stroke color from an 'ICCBased' colorspace, the application will read a length from the file and use it as a loop sentinel when writing data into the member of an object. Due to the object member being a buffer of a static size allocated on the heap, this can result in a heap-based buffer overflow. A specially crafted document must be loaded by a victim in order to trigger this vulnerability.

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write), CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-6146?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Gonitro Nitro Pro.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-6146?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-6146 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-6146 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-6146 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Nitro Pro

- [CVE-2021-21796](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-21796/): Use after free in Nitro Pro (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2021-21797](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-21797/): Use after free in Nitro Pro (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2021-21798](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-21798/): Use after free in Nitro Pro (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2020-6112](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-6112/): Memory corruption in Nitro Pro (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2020-6113](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-6113/): Integer overflow in Nitro Pro (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-6146 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-6146 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Nitro Pro, published on 16 Sep 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-6146 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Nitro Pro. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-6146/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-6146/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-6146
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-6146
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-6146

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-6146/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.