dbcve.org
Quick Pdf LibraryApplication · Foxitsoftware

CVE-2018-20248

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-12-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 16.12 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
In Foxit Quick PDF Library (all versions prior to 16.12), issue where loading a malformed or malicious PDF containing invalid xref table pointers or invalid xref table data using the LoadFromFile, LoadFromString, LoadFromStream, DAOpenFile or DAOpenFileReadOnly functions may result in an access violation caused by out of bounds memory access.

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 confidence

Foxit Quick PDF Library versions prior to 16.12 contain a memory corruption vulnerability when parsing malformed PDF files. Specifically, the LoadFromFile, LoadFromString, LoadFromStream, DAOpenFile, and DAOpenFileReadOnly functions do not properly validate xref table pointers and data, leading to out-of-bounds memory access and an access violation that could be exploited for code execution.

MitigationUpgrade Foxit Quick PDF Library to version 16.12 or later. Additionally, implement input validation and content disarm on PDF files before processing, and consider running the library in a sandboxed environment to limit exploitation impact.

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
Quick Pdf LibraryApplication
Affected:< 16.12

CVSS 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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Locate Foxit Quick PDF Library installation
    Search for the Quick PDF Library DLL (typically named QuickPDF*.dll) in application directories, or check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for entries containing 'Foxit' and 'Quick PDF'
    Affected if The library DLL or registry entry is found on the system
  2. Determine installed version of Quick PDF Library
    Right-click the QuickPDF DLL file, select Properties, and view the Version tab to read the File Version and Product Version entries
    Affected if The version number displayed is lower than 16.12 (for example, 16.11, 16.10, or earlier)
  3. Verify application uses vulnerable PDF loading functions
    Review application source code or binary for calls to LoadFromFile, LoadFromString, LoadFromStream, DAOpenFile, or DAOpenFileReadOnly functions exported by the Quick PDF Library
    Affected if One or more of these functions are being called to process PDF files
  4. Confirm PDF input source is untrusted or external
    Inspect application configuration or code to determine if PDF files are loaded from user-uploaded content, network sources, email attachments, or other untrusted inputs
    Affected if PDF files from external or untrusted sources are processed by the application

The system is affected if Foxit Quick PDF Library version below 16.12 is installed AND the application uses the vulnerable PDF loading functions to process files, especially from untrusted sources.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 16.12 or later
Fixed in 16.12
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Foxit Quick PDF Library to version 16.12 or later. Additionally, implement input validation and content disarm on PDF files before processing, and consider running the library in a sandboxed environment to limit exploitation impact.

Recommended fix High confidence

Foxit Quick PDF Library 16.12 or later

  1. 1. Identify all deployments of Foxit Quick PDF Library in your environment
  2. 2. Verify current installed version using the application's version information or license details
  3. 3. Download Foxit Quick PDF Library version 16.12 or later from the official Foxit website (www.foxitsoftware.com)
  4. 4. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment to ensure compatibility with your application
  5. 5. Apply the upgrade to production systems following your change management process
  6. 6. As a temporary mitigation before upgrading, ensure PDFs from untrusted sources are not processed using the affected functions (LoadFromFile, LoadFromString, LoadFromStream, DAOpenFile, DAOpenFileReadOnly)

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Quick Pdf Library Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $5,940
Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-20248 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data