CVE-2018-17637
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 execute arbitrary code on vulnerable installations of Foxit Reader 9.2.0.9297. 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 the loadXML method. The issue results from the lack of validating the existence of an object prior to performing operations on the object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-6473.
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 confidenceThis is a use-after-free vulnerability in Foxit Reader 9.2.0.9297's loadXML method. The application fails to validate the existence of an object before performing operations on it, allowing remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process via malicious PDF or XML files requiring user interaction.
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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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.
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Check installed Foxit Reader versionOpen Foxit Reader, go to Help > About Foxit Reader, or look at the version displayed on the main windowAffected if The version listed is 9.2.0.9297 or any version lower than 9.2.0.9297
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Check installed PhantomPDF versionOpen PhantomPDF, go to Help > About PhantomPDF, or check the version displayed on the main windowAffected if The version listed is 9.2.0.9297 or any version lower than 9.2.0.9297 (PhantomPDF shares the same vulnerable version range)
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Verify if JavaScript is enabledIn Foxit Reader/PhantomPDF, go to File > Preferences > JavaScript and check if JavaScript is enabledAffected if JavaScript is enabled - this is required for the malicious PDF/XML interaction to execute the exploit
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Confirm if application processes untrusted PDF filesCheck whether the user regularly opens PDF files from external or untrusted sources, or inspect recent file history in the application (File > Open Recent)Affected if The application is used to open PDF or XML files from untrusted or unknown sources - these are the attack vectors for this vulnerability
A user is affected if their installed Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF version is 9.2.0.9297 or lower AND they open malicious PDF/XML files with JavaScript enabled.
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 a patched version that addresses this vulnerability; avoid opening untrusted PDF or XML files from unknown sources until the update is applied.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-17637 — 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-2018-17637 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
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- 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
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