CVE-2018-17657
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 gotoURL method of a host 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-6507.
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 or null pointer dereference vulnerability in Foxit Reader 9.2.0.9297. The gotoURL method of a host object fails to validate object existence before performing operations, allowing arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process. Exploitation requires user interaction via malicious PDF or webpage.
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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Identify if Foxit Reader is installedCheck for Foxit Reader executable in Program Files (C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit Reader\) or look for it in Add/Remove Programs. Alternatively, search for FoxitReader.exe on the system.Affected if Foxit Reader application is found on the system
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Identify if Foxit PhantomPDF is installedCheck for PhantomPDF executable in Program Files (C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\PhantomPDF\) or look for it in Add/Remove Programs. Alternatively, search for PhantomPDF.exe on the system.Affected if Foxit PhantomPDF application is found on the system
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Check installed Foxit Reader versionRight-click FoxitReader.exe, select Properties, and examine the File Version under the Details tab. Alternatively, run 'wmic product where "name like 'Foxit Reader'" get version' or check the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Foxit Software\Foxit Reader\CurrentVersion.Affected if The version is 9.2.0.9297 or any version lower than 9.2.0.9297
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Check installed PhantomPDF versionRight-click PhantomPDF.exe, select Properties, and examine the File Version under the Details tab. Alternatively, run 'wmic product where "name like 'PhantomPDF'" get version' or check the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Foxit Software\PhantomPDF\CurrentVersion.Affected if The version is 9.2.0.9297 or any version lower than 9.2.0.9297
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Verify vulnerability trigger conditionThe vulnerability exists in the gotoURL method of host objects. This is triggered when opening a malicious PDF or visiting a webpage that invokes this method. No specific configuration toggle exists - the flaw is in the application logic itself.Affected if The application is vulnerable AND the user opens a malicious PDF or visits a crafted webpage that calls the gotoURL method
A user is affected if Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF version 9.2.0.9297 or lower is installed, and the user opens a malicious PDF file or visits a webpage designed to trigger the gotoURL 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 dataUpdate Foxit Reader to the latest version containing the vendor patch. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted PDF files or visiting suspicious webpages.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-17657 — 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-2018-17657 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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