CVE-2018-17622
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThis vulnerability allows remote attackers to disclose sensitive information on vulnerable installations of Foxit Reader 9.1.0.5096. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the handling of Calculate events. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a read past the end of an allocated buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-6354.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceAn out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Foxit Reader 9.1.0.5096 allows remote attackers to disclose sensitive information via malicious PDF files. The flaw exists in the handling of Calculate events where user-supplied data is not properly validated, allowing reads past the end of an allocated buffer. This can be leveraged for code execution in the context of the current process.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 9.2.0.9297<= 9.2.0.9297CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify installed Foxit productOpen Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF, then navigate to Help > About Foxit Reader (or check Add/Remove Programs in Windows Control Panel) to confirm whether Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF is installedAffected if Either Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF is installed
-
Check installed version numberIn the About dialog, note the exact version number displayed (format appears as x.x.x.xxxx). Compare this version against the affected range: any version <= 9.2.0.9297 is vulnerableAffected if Version number is 9.2.0.9297 or lower
-
Verify PDF form Calculate event processingOpen any PDF form that contains JavaScript Calculate events (typically found in fillable PDF forms with computed field values). In Foxit, go to Home > JavaScript Debugger to view if Calculate events are present and being executedAffected if PDFs with Calculate events are opened and the application processes them without additional validation
-
Check for suspicious PDF filesReview recently opened PDF files in the application's recent files list or file system. Look for PDFs from untrusted sources that may contain malicious Calculate event handlersAffected if Suspicious or untrusted PDF files with embedded Calculate events have been opened
A user is affected if Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF version 9.2.0.9297 or lower is installed AND a malicious PDF containing specially crafted Calculate event data has been opened
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpdate Foxit Reader to the latest patched version. Avoid opening untrusted PDF files or clicking links from unknown sources.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-17622 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-17622 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data