CVE-2021-31454
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 the Decimal element. A crafted leadDigits value in a Decimal element can trigger an overflow of a fixed-length heap-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-13095.
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 heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Foxit Reader's handling of Decimal elements. A crafted PDF file with a malicious leadDigits value in a Decimal element can overflow a fixed-length heap buffer, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user process. User interaction is required (opening 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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Verify Foxit Reader installationCheck for Foxit Reader installation by looking in C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit Reader\ for FoxitReader.exe, or check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Foxitsoftware\Foxit ReaderAffected if Foxit Reader executable or registry key exists on the system
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Determine Foxit Reader versionRight-click on FoxitReader.exe, select Properties, and note the File Version from the Details tab, or read the Version value from the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Foxitsoftware\Foxit Reader\CurrentVersionAffected if The installed version is 10.1.3.37598 or any version lower than this
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Verify PhantomPDF installationCheck for PhantomPDF installation by looking in C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\PhantomPDF\ for PhantomPDF.exe, or check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Foxitsoftware\PhantomPDFAffected if PhantomPDF executable or registry key exists on the system
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Determine PhantomPDF versionRight-click on PhantomPDF.exe, select Properties, and note the File Version from the Details tab, or read the Version value from the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Foxitsoftware\PhantomPDF\CurrentVersionAffected if The installed version is 9.7.5.29616 or lower, OR any version from 10.0.0.0 through 10.1.3.37598
You are affected if Foxit Reader version 10.1.3.37598 or lower is installed, or if PhantomPDF version 9.7.5.29616 or lower OR version 10.0.0.0 through 10.1.3.37598 is installed.
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 patched version. Avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-31454 — 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-2021-31454 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data