CVE-2018-17683
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 createIcon method of an app 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-7163.
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 where the createIcon method of an app object fails to validate object existence before performing operations on it. An attacker can exploit this by crafting a malicious PDF file or webpage that, when opened by a user, triggers the vulnerability and executes arbitrary code 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
- 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 if Foxit Reader or Phantompdf is installedOn Windows, open Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion' in PowerShell to list installed softwareAffected if Foxit Reader or Phantompdf appears in the installed programs list
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Identify the exact version of Foxit ReaderRun 'Get-ItemProperty "C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit Reader\FoxitReader.exe" | Select-Object VersionInfo' or right-click the executable in Program Files > Foxit Software > Foxit Reader and view Properties > DetailsAffected if The displayed version number is 9.2.0.9297 or any version lower than 9.2.0.9297
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Identify the exact version of Phantompdf if installedRun 'Get-ItemProperty "C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\PhantomPDF\PhantomPDF.exe" | Select-Object VersionInfo' or check the executable in Program Files > Foxit Software > PhantomPDFAffected if The displayed version number is 9.2.0.9297 or any version lower than 9.2.0.9297
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Verify the software is running or has been used recentlyOpen Task Manager and check for "Foxit Reader.exe" or "PhantomPDF.exe" in the Processes tab, or check recent files in the application to see PDF opening activityAffected if The vulnerable software is actively in use, as the exploit requires opening a malicious PDF file or visiting a crafted webpage
If Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF version 9.2.0.9297 or lower is installed and used to open PDF files, the environment is vulnerable to CVE-2018-17683.
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 dataApply the vendor patch or upgrade to a patched version of Foxit Reader. Users should avoid opening untrusted PDF files or visiting suspicious webpages until the update is applied.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-17683 — 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-2018-17683 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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