Is this vulnerability remotely exploitable over the internet?

Yes. If an attacker can position themselves on the network path (e.g., via a rogue Wi‑Fi access point, compromised router, or malicious proxy) and obtain any valid TLS certificate, they can impersonate the update server and deliver a malicious installer during an update check.

Does exploitation require local or administrative access on the victim machine?

No local account on the victim machine is required to trigger the vulnerability. However, the malicious installer will execute with the privileges of the user running SumatraPDF. If that user has administrative rights or grants elevation to the installer, the attacker can gain higher privileges.

What is the safest general fix pattern for developers of update mechanisms?

Implement strict TLS certificate and hostname validation for all update traffic, and require cryptographic verification (such as code-signing validation or signed metadata) before executing any downloaded update payload. Avoid relying solely on transport security to establish trust in executable content.

Severity:

HIGH RISK

(7.5)

Improper TLS Certificate Validation and Untrusted Update Execution (CWE-295/CWE-494) in SumatraPDF Updater

CVE-2026-25961

Published:

Feb 9, 2026

Status:

Undergoing Analysis

Summary

Affected Context

Exploit Preconditions

Why This Happens

Potential Impact

General Mitigation Guidance

How Teams Detect Issues Like This

Frequently Asked Questions

Source

NDV

Recent Vulnerabilities

CWE-306

CRITICAL RISK

CRITICAL

(9.8)

Missing Authentication for Forgot-Password Email Change API (CWE-306)

Account Takeover / Loss of Account Control

February 17, 2026

CWE-77;CWE-78

HIGH RISK

HIGH

(7.3)

OS Command Injection (CWE-78) in node-sonos-http-api TTS Provider for macOS

Remote Code Execution on the Server Host

February 17, 2026

Vulnerability Type

Category:

Insecure Software Update Mechanism

CWE:

CWE-295;CWE-494

Impact:

Arbitrary Code Execution via Compromised Update Channel

Severity:

HIGH RISK

(7.5)

CVSS Version:

3.1

Vulnerability Type

Category:

Insecure Software Update Mechanism

CWE:

CWE-295;CWE-494

Impact:

Arbitrary Code Execution via Compromised Update Channel

Severity:

HIGH RISK

(7.5)

CVSS Version:

3.1

Catch This CVE While Code Is Being Written

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Ask AI for summary of CodeAnt

Improper TLS Certificate Validation and Untrusted Update Execution (CWE-295/CWE-494) in SumatraPDF Updater

Summary

Affected Context

Exploit Preconditions

Why This Happens

Potential Impact

General Mitigation Guidance

How Teams Detect Issues Like This

Frequently Asked Questions

Source

Recent Vulnerabilities

CRITICAL RISK

CRITICAL

(9.8)

Missing Authentication for Forgot-Password Email Change API (CWE-306)

HIGH RISK

HIGH

(7.3)

OS Command Injection (CWE-78) in node-sonos-http-api TTS Provider for macOS

Vulnerability Type

Vulnerability Type

Vulnerability Type

Vulnerability Type

Catch This CVE While Code Is Being Written

Ship clean & secure code faster

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