ReaderApplication · Foxitsoftware

CVE-2019-13326

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-10-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 9.6.0.25114 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 attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Foxit Reader 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 processing of fields within Acroform objects. 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-8864.

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 Reader's Acroform field processing. The lack of validating object existence prior to operations allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via malicious PDF files. User interaction is required (opening a malicious PDF).

MitigationUpgrade Foxit Reader to the latest patched version. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted PDF files and consider disabling JavaScript execution in Foxit Reader settings.

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
ReaderApplication
Affected:<= 9.6.0.25114

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. Identify installed Foxit Reader version
    Open Foxit Reader, go to Help > About Foxit Reader, or right-click the Foxit Reader executable file and select Properties > Details to view the Product Version
    Affected if The displayed version number is 9.6.0.25114 or earlier
  2. Compare version against affected range
    If version is shown as a 4-part number (such as 9.6.0.25114), compare each segment: affected if the first segment is less than 9, OR if first segment equals 9 and second segment is less than 6, OR if first segment equals 9 and second segment equals 6 and third segment equals 0 and fourth segment is less than or equal to 25114
    Affected if Version falls at or below 9.6.0.25114
  3. Confirm Acroform functionality is in use
    Open a PDF document in Foxit Reader and check if the document contains fillable form fields (AcroForms). Look for form fields in the document or use the Form tool under the Home or Edit tab to detect forms
    Affected if PDFs with Acroform fields are being opened or edited in Foxit Reader
  4. Verify JavaScript execution state
    In Foxit Reader, go to File > Preferences > JavaScript and check if JavaScript is enabled
    Affected if JavaScript execution is enabled (this increases exploitability but the vulnerability can still trigger via Acroform processing alone)

A user is affected if Foxit Reader version is 9.6.0.25114 or earlier and the application is used to open PDF documents, particularly those containing Acroform fields.

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 9.6.0.25114
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Foxit Reader to the latest patched version. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted PDF files and consider disabling JavaScript execution in Foxit Reader settings.

Fix this in Reader Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,380
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2019-13326 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