CVE-2019-17142
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 affected installations of Foxit PhantomPDF 9.6.0.25114. 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 script within a Keystroke action of a listbox field. 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-9081.
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 confidenceThis is a use-after-free/null pointer dereference vulnerability in Foxit PhantomPDF where the application fails to validate object existence before performing operations on it. Specifically, script processing within a Keystroke action of a listbox field lacks proper validation, allowing remote code execution in the context of the current process when a user opens a malicious PDF.
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= 9.6.0.25114CVSS 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:3.1/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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Check Foxit PhantomPDF installed versionOpen Foxit PhantomPDF, then go to Help > About Foxit PhantomPDF. Alternatively, check Add/Remove Programs (Windows) or the application's executable properties. Look for the version number displayed.Affected if The installed version is 9.6.0.25114 or any unpatched version within the affected release line.
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Verify JavaScript execution settingsIn Foxit PhantomPDF, go to File > Preferences > JavaScript. Check if JavaScript is enabled for Adobe JavaScript APIs.Affected if JavaScript execution is enabled in the application settings.
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Confirm listbox form field usageReview any PDF forms in use that contain listbox fields with associated Keystroke actions. Open the PDF in PhantomPDF, select the listbox field, right-click, and check Properties > Keystroke tab.Affected if The environment contains PDF documents with listbox fields that have active Keystroke action scripts.
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Check for recent PDF files from untrusted sourcesSearch for recently opened or downloaded PDF files, particularly from email attachments or unknown sources. Inspect file metadata and origin.Affected if Users have opened PDF files from untrusted or unknown sources recently.
A user is affected if they have Foxit PhantomPDF version 9.6.0.25114 installed with JavaScript enabled and have opened or could open malicious PDFs containing crafted listbox Keystroke actions.
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 dataApply the vendor patch/update to Foxit PhantomPDF to the latest version. Until patched, warn users not to open PDF files from untrusted sources and consider disabling JavaScript execution in PDF settings.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-17142 — 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-2019-17142 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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