CVE-2018-5676
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 before 9.1 and PhantomPDF before 9.1. 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 processing of specially crafted pdf files with embedded u3d images. Crafted data in the PDF file can trigger an overflow of a heap-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code under the context of the current process, a different vulnerability than CVE-2018-5674 and CVE-2018-5678.
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 confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Foxit Reader and PhantomPDF when processing specially crafted PDF files containing embedded U3D (Universal 3D) images. The overflow occurs during parsing of the U3D data, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code under the context of the current user 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<= 9.0.1.1049<= 9.0.1.1049CVSS 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.
-
Identify installed Foxit productCheck for Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF installation via Start Menu, Program Files directory, or Windows Registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall or HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\UninstallAffected if Either Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF is installed
-
Determine installed version numberOpen the application, go to Help > About, or check the version in the application's entry in Windows Registry under 'DisplayVersion' valueAffected if Version is <= 9.0.1.1049
-
Confirm U3D support is availableVerify the Foxit installation includes U3D parsing capability by checking for U3D-related DLLs (u3d.dll or similar) in the installation directory, or attempt to open a PDF containing a U3D object to confirm processing is possibleAffected if U3D image processing is supported and enabled in the application
-
Check if JavaScript execution is enabledIn Foxit Reader/PhantomPDF, go to Edit > Preferences > JavaScript and verify if JavaScript execution is enabledAffected if JavaScript is enabled (this is a contributing factor for exploitation via malicious PDF files)
-
Verify vulnerability applicabilityConfirm that the installed Foxit version is <= 9.0.1.1049 AND the application can process embedded U3D content in PDF filesAffected if Both conditions are true: version is in the affected range AND U3D processing is possible in the environment
You are affected if Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF version 9.0.1.1049 or lower is installed and the application can parse U3D objects embedded in 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 dataUpgrade to Foxit Reader 9.1 or PhantomPDF 9.1 or later. Until patched, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources or disable JavaScript execution in the application settings.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-5676 — 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-2018-5676 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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