CVE-2018-17694
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 PhantomPDF 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 display property of a button. 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-7138.
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 · moderate confidenceThis is a use-after-free or null pointer dereference vulnerability in Foxit PhantomPDF 9.2.0.9297. The flaw exists in the JavaScript handling code for the display property of a button element, where the software fails to validate that an object exists before performing operations on it. Successful exploitation allows remote code execution in the context of the current process, but requires the user to open a malicious PDF file or visit a malicious 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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Check the installed Foxit product versionOpen the application, then access Help > About Foxit PhantomPDF or Help > About Foxit Reader to view the exact version numberAffected if The version displayed is 9.2.0.9297 or any version lower than 9.2.0.9297
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Confirm whether the product is Foxit PhantomPDF or Foxit ReaderVerify which specific Foxit product is installed, as both PhantomPDF and Reader are affected up to version 9.2.0.9297Affected if Either Foxit PhantomPDF or Foxit Reader is installed at the vulnerable version
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Check if JavaScript execution is enabledNavigate to File > Preferences > JavaScript in the application settings and verify whether JavaScript is permitted to runAffected if JavaScript is enabled in the PDF reader settings, as the vulnerability exists in the JavaScript handling code for button element display properties
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Verify exposure to untrusted PDF contentDetermine whether the system opens PDF files from external or untrusted sources, or browses to webpages containing malicious PDF contentAffected if Users routinely open PDF files from untrusted sources or visit malicious webpages that can deliver malicious PDF files
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 PhantomPDF to the latest version with the security patch applied. Until then, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources or disable JavaScript execution in the PDF reader settings.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-17694 — 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-2018-17694 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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