dbcve.org
PhantompdfApplication · Foxitsoftware

CVE-2019-13316

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-10-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 9.5.0.20723 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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
This vulnerability allows remote atackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Foxit PhantomPDF 9.5.0.20723. 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 Calculate actions. 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-8757.

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

This is a use-after-free or null pointer dereference vulnerability in Foxit PhantomPDF 9.5.0.20723. The flaw exists in the handling of Calculate actions where the application fails to validate the existence of an object before performing operations on it. An attacker can exploit this by having a user open a malicious PDF file or visit a malicious webpage, allowing arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process.

MitigationUpdate Foxit PhantomPDF to the latest version that includes the security fix. Avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and disable JavaScript in the PDF reader if possible to reduce attack surface.

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
PhantompdfApplication
Affected:<= 8.3.10.42705>= 9.0, <= 9.5.0.20723
ReaderApplication
Affected:<= 9.5.0.20723

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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 checks

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

  1. Verify Foxit PhantomPDF or Reader is installed
    Check for Foxit PhantomPDF or Foxit Reader in the list of installed programs via Windows Settings > Apps & Features, or look for Foxit PDF Reader or PhantomPDF in Program Files or Program Files (x86) folders.
    Affected if Either Foxit PhantomPDF or Foxit Reader is installed on the system.
  2. Determine the installed Foxit version
    Open Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF, then go to Help > About Foxit Reader/PhantomPDF to display the exact version number. Alternatively, locate the executable (FoxitReader.exe or PhantomPDF.exe), right-click, select Properties, and check the File version on the Details tab.
    Affected if The displayed version is not immediately visible, but you need this information for the next step.
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    Review the version number obtained in the previous step against these vulnerable ranges: PhantomPDF versions <= 8.3.10.42705, OR PhantomPDF versions >= 9.0 and <= 9.5.0.20723. For Foxit Reader, versions <= 9.5.0.20723 are affected.
    Affected if Your installed version falls within any of these ranges: PhantomPDF <= 8.3.10.42705, PhantomPDF 9.0-9.5.0.20723, or Reader <= 9.5.0.20723.
  4. Identify if Calculate actions or JavaScript is used
    The vulnerability triggers when processing Calculate actions in PDF files. While the application processes these automatically when opening a PDF, you can verify if JavaScript/PDF JavaScript is enabled in the application: go to File > Preferences > JavaScript in Foxit and check if Enable Adobe JavaScript is checked.
    Affected if The application processes PDF files with Calculate actions and JavaScript is enabled, making it vulnerable to specially crafted malicious PDFs.

You are affected if Foxit PhantomPDF (any version <= 8.3.10.42705 or between 9.0 and 9.5.0.20723) or Foxit Reader (<= 9.5.0.20723) is installed and the version matches the affected ranges.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 9.5.0.20723
Interim mitigation

Update Foxit PhantomPDF to the latest version that includes the security fix. Avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and disable JavaScript in the PDF reader if possible to reduce attack surface.

Fix this in Phantompdf Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.

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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-2019-13316 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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