PhantompdfApplication · Foxitsoftware

CVE-2019-13333

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-02-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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 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 conversion of DXF files to PDF. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a write past the end of an allocated structure. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-8773.

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 PhantomPDF 9.5.0.20723 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in its DXF to PDF conversion feature. The application fails to properly validate user-supplied data during conversion, allowing an attacker to write past the end of an allocated memory structure. Successful exploitation enables arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process, but requires user interaction (opening a malicious DXF file or visiting a malicious webpage).

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch from Foxit for PhantomPDF. Until patched, instruct users to avoid opening untrusted DXF files and disable the DXF conversion feature if not required by the organization.

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:= 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. Identify installed Foxit PhantomPDF version
    Open Foxit PhantomPDF and navigate to Help > About, or check the application in Windows Add/Remove Programs to view the installed version number.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 9.5.0.20723
  2. Locate DXF conversion functionality
    Look in the application menus for Convert or Create options that handle DXF files. Check if there is a dedicated DXF to PDF conversion feature under the Convert or File menu.
    Affected if The DXF to PDF conversion feature is present and accessible in the application
  3. Determine exposure to DXF file processing
    Identify whether the application can process DXF files through conversion, import, or as attachable content. Note if users commonly convert CAD drawings or engineering files.
    Affected if Users have the ability to convert or process DXF files using PhantomPDF

You are affected only if your installed Foxit PhantomPDF version is exactly 9.5.0.20723 and the DXF to PDF conversion feature is available in your environment.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patch from Foxit for PhantomPDF. Until patched, instruct users to avoid opening untrusted DXF files and disable the DXF conversion feature if not required by the organization.

Fix this in Phantompdf Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,690
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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-2019-13333 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