CVE-2021-31449
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 Reader 10.1.1.37576. 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 embedded in PDF files. The issue results from the lack of validating the existence of an object prior to performing further free operations on the object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-13280.
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 confidenceUse-after-free vulnerability in Foxit Reader's handling of U3D (3D) objects embedded in PDF files. The code fails to validate object existence prior to performing free operations on the object, allowing remote code execution 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<= 10.1.3.37598<= 9.7.5.29616>= 10.0.0.0, <= 10.1.3.37598CVSS 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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Identify the installed Foxit productOpen Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF, then go to Help > About Foxit Reader (or About PhantomPDF) to view the exact version number displayed in the dialogAffected if The displayed version falls within the affected ranges: for Reader, any version <= 10.1.3.37598; for PhantomPDF, any version <= 9.7.5.29616 or >= 10.0.0.0 and <= 10.1.3.37598
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Check if 3D/U3D content rendering is enabledIn the application, navigate to File > Preferences > 3D (or Preferences > Security > 3D and Multimedia in some versions). Look for a setting controlling U3D/3D content displayAffected if 3D or U3D content rendering is enabled (the setting is checked or set to allow 3D content)
You are affected if your Foxit Reader version is <= 10.1.3.37598 or PhantomPDF version is <= 9.7.5.29616 (or between 10.0.0.0 and 10.1.3.37598) AND 3D/U3D content rendering is enabled in the application settings.
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 dataUpdate Foxit Reader to the latest version; avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources or disable U3D/3D content rendering in the application settings.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $1,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-31449 — 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-2021-31449 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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