CVE-2018-17700
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 Array.prototype.concat. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a read past the end of an allocated object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-7131.
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 confidenceAn out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Foxit PhantomPDF 9.2.0.9297 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted PDF files. The flaw exists in the handling of Array.prototype.concat where improper validation of user-supplied data enables reading past the end of an allocated object, which can be leveraged for RCE.
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 installed Foxit productOpen Control Panel > Programs and Features, or check C:\Program Files\Foxit Software or C:\Program Files (x86)\Foxit Software folders for Foxit PhantomPDF.exe or Foxit Reader.exeAffected if Either Foxit PhantomPDF or Foxit Reader is present on the system
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Determine installed version numberRight-click the executable (PhantomPDF.exe or Reader.exe), select Properties, then view the Details tab for Product Version. Alternatively, open the Foxit application and go to Help > AboutAffected if Version displays as 9.2.0.9297 or lower (e.g., 9.2.0.9297, 9.2.0.9280, 9.1.0, etc.)
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Compare against affected version rangeCompare your installed version against the affected range: any version of Foxit PhantomPDF or Reader that is 9.2.0.9297 or belowAffected if The installed version is 9.2.0.9297 or any earlier version number (versions before 9.3.0 are likely affected)
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Verify PDF handling behaviorMonitor for unusual crashes or errors when opening PDF files from untrusted sources, as the vulnerability triggers during Array.prototype.concat processing in crafted PDFsAffected if The application exhibits unexpected behavior or crashes when processing specific PDF files, particularly those from unknown or untrusted sources
A user is affected if Foxit PhantomPDF or Reader version 9.2.0.9297 or lower is installed, since this version contains the vulnerable Array.prototype.concat handling code that can be triggered by 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 dataApply vendor patches for Foxit PhantomPDF immediately; until patched, instruct users to avoid opening files from untrusted sources.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-17700 — 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-2018-17700 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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