CVE-2018-5678
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-2018-5676.
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 (versions before 9.1) when processing specially crafted PDF files containing embedded U3D (Universal 3D) images. An attacker can achieve remote code execution by tricking users into opening malicious PDF files.
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.
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Identify installed Foxit applicationOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or check for Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF in the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\). Look for executable files such as FoxitReader.exe or PhantomPDF.exe.Affected if Neither Foxit Reader nor PhantomPDF is installed on the system.
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Determine installed version of Foxit ReaderIf Foxit Reader is installed, open the application, then go to Help > About Foxit Reader. The version number displayed (such as 9.0.1.1049) is the installed version.Affected if The version shown is 9.0.1.1049 or any earlier version (versions <= 9.0.1.1049).
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Determine installed version of PhantomPDFIf PhantomPDF is installed, open the application, then go to Help > About PhantomPDF. The version number displayed (such as 9.0.1.1049) is the installed version.Affected if The version shown is 9.0.1.1049 or any earlier version (versions <= 9.0.1.1049).
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Verify U3D functionality is presentThe vulnerability is triggered specifically by U3D (Universal 3D) images embedded in PDF files. Open any PDF file that contains 3D content, or inspect PDF files for the presence of /U3D stream objects. In Foxit, this feature is handled by the 3D plugin module.Affected if U3D content processing is enabled and PDFs with embedded 3D objects can be opened.
A system is affected if Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF version 9.0.1.1049 or earlier is installed and users open PDF files containing embedded U3D (3D) content.
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 to Foxit Reader 9.1 or PhantomPDF 9.1 or later. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted PDF files, particularly those containing 3D content.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-5678 — 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-2018-5678 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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