CVE-2018-17655
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 moveInstance method of a Form object. 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-6505.
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/null pointer dereference vulnerability in Foxit Reader 9.2.0.9297 where the moveInstance method of a Form object fails to validate object existence before performing operations. This allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process via malicious PDF files or web pages.
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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Verify Foxit product installationCheck for Foxit Reader or Foxit PhantomPDF in the Windows installed programs list (Control Panel > Programs and Features) or look for Foxit Reader.exe or PhantomPDF.exe in typical installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Foxit Software\Affected if Either Foxit Reader or Foxit PhantomPDF is installed on the system
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Determine installed Foxit versionRight-click on Foxit Reader.exe or PhantomPDF.exe, select Properties, and check the Details tab for the Product Version field. Alternatively, open Foxit Reader, click Help > About Foxit Reader to display the version number including the build number (for example, 9.2.0.9297)Affected if The displayed version is 9.2.0.9297 or any version lower than 9.2.0.9297 (for example, 9.1.0.xxxx)
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Confirm JavaScript is enabled in Foxit settingsOpen Foxit Reader, go to Edit > Preferences > JavaScript. Verify if the option 'Enable Adobe JavaScript' is checked. If using PhantomPDF, the path may be File > Preferences > JavaScriptAffected if JavaScript is enabled (the checkbox is checked), which is required for the vulnerable Form object moveInstance method to be exploitable
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Check for recent PDF handling activityReview recent PDF files opened with Foxit Reader or examine browser history for PDF files accessed through Foxit plugins. There is no specific log file to check for this vulnerability; the exploit triggers when a malicious PDF containing the crafted Form object JavaScript is openedAffected if Untrusted PDF files have been opened recently with Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF, increasing likelihood of exploitation if version is vulnerable
A system is affected if Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF version 9.2.0.9297 or lower is installed AND JavaScript is enabled in the Foxit settings, allowing the malicious PDF Form object to trigger the use-after-free vulnerability.
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 dataUsers should avoid opening untrusted PDF files or visiting malicious web pages until Foxit Reader is updated to a patched version. Organizations should deploy the latest Foxit Reader update and consider disabling JavaScript in PDF handling if feasible.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-17655 — 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-2018-17655 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
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