CVE-2021-27269
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 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-12390.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in Foxit PhantomPDF's U3D (3D) object parsing. Lack of proper validation of user-supplied data allows writing past the end of an allocated structure, enabling arbitrary 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<= 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 Foxit Reader versionOpen Foxit Reader, go to Help > About Foxit Reader, or right-click the Foxit Reader executable file and select Properties > Details to view the Product VersionAffected if The version listed is 10.1.0.37527 or lower
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Check Foxit PhantomPDF versionOpen PhantomPDF, go to Help > About PhantomPDF, or right-click the PhantomPDF executable file and select Properties > Details to view the Product VersionAffected if The version listed is 10.1.0.37527 or lower
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Confirm U3D/3D rendering is enabledLook for 3D settings in Preferences or Options menu; the exact location varies by version but typically under Edit > Preferences > 3D or similarAffected if U3D/3D rendering or content viewing is turned ON (if you can disable it, it is currently enabled)
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Identify if PDFs with 3D content are processedCheck recent PDF files opened or test with a PDF containing U3D/3D objects; attempt to open a known PDF with 3D content to confirm rendering worksAffected if You can open and view PDFs containing U3D/3D objects without errors
You are affected if your installed Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF version is 10.1.0.37527 or lower AND U3D/3D rendering is enabled, allowing malicious PDFs with crafted 3D objects to trigger the buffer overflow.
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 vendor security update from Foxit; avoid opening untrusted PDF files until patched; disable U3D rendering if supported.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-27269 — 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-2021-27269 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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