CVE-2021-27267
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 10.1.0.37527. 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 U3D objects in PDF files. 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-12294.
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 or null pointer dereference vulnerability in Foxit PhantomPDF's handling of U3D (3D) objects embedded in PDF files. The lack of validating object existence before performing operations allows attackers to manipulate memory and execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process via 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<= 10.1.0.37527<= 10.1.0.37527CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check if Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF is installedOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or use PowerShell: Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' | Select-Object DisplayName | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like '*Foxit*'}Affected if Either Foxit Reader or Foxit PhantomPDF appears in the installed programs list
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Determine the exact version of Foxit ReaderIf installed, right-click the Foxit Reader shortcut, select Properties, and view the version number in the Details tab. Alternatively, open Foxit Reader, go to Help > About Foxit Reader to display the full version stringAffected if The displayed version number is 10.1.0.37527 or lower (any version up to and including 10.1.0.37527)
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Determine the exact version of Foxit PhantomPDFOpen Foxit PhantomPDF, go to Help > About Foxit PhantomPDF to display the full version string. The version is also visible in the program file properties (right-click the .exe file > Properties > Details)Affected if The displayed version number is 10.1.0.37527 or lower (any version up to and including 10.1.0.37527)
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Identify the specific Foxit product variantNote whether the installed product is Foxit Reader or Foxit PhantomPDF - both are affected. Check the program name in Programs and Features or the application title bar when openAffected if The product is either Foxit Reader or Foxit PhantomPDF and the version meets the vulnerable threshold above
A user is affected if Foxit Reader or Foxit PhantomPDF is installed with version 10.1.0.37527 or any earlier version; the vulnerability triggers when processing PDF files containing malicious U3D (3D) objects.
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-supplied patch or update Foxit PhantomPDF to the latest version; avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-27267 — 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-2021-27267 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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