CVE-2021-34958
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 · uneditedFoxit PDF Editor Text Annotation Use-After-Free Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Foxit PDF Editor. 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 Annotation objects. 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-14359.
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 PDF Editor's Text Annotation handling. The flaw results from lack of validating object existence before performing operations, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code 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<= 10.1.5.37672= 11.0.0.49893= 11.0.1.49938<= 11.0.1.49938CVSS 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:3.0/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 installed Foxit productOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or check C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Foxit Software\ for installed Foxit applications. Look for Foxit PDF Editor or Foxit PDF Reader.Affected if Either Foxit PDF Editor or Foxit PDF Reader is installed on the system
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Determine installed version numberIn Foxit, click Help > About Foxit PDF Editor (or Reader). Note the exact version number displayed (for example: 10.1.5.37672, 11.0.0.49893, or 11.0.1.49938).Affected if The version cannot be determined or is not visible
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Compare against affected versions for Foxit PDF EditorIf Foxit PDF Editor is installed, compare the installed version to: any version <= 10.1.5.37672, exactly 11.0.0.49893, or exactly 11.0.1.49938.Affected if Installed version matches any of these: <= 10.1.5.37672, = 11.0.0.49893, or = 11.0.1.49938
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Compare against affected versions for Foxit PDF ReaderIf Foxit PDF Reader is installed, compare the installed version to any version <= 11.0.1.49938.Affected if Installed version is <= 11.0.1.49938
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Assess exposure to Text Annotation processingThe vulnerability affects Text Annotation handling in PDF files. Determine if users process PDF files with text annotation features, which is common in collaborative document workflows.Affected if Users regularly open PDF files from external or untrusted sources that may contain text annotations
A user is affected if Foxit PDF Editor (version <= 10.1.5.37672, = 11.0.0.49893, or = 11.0.1.49938) or Foxit PDF Reader (version <= 11.0.1.49938) is installed and the system processes PDF files from untrusted sources.
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 patch from Foxit when available; avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-34958 — 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-2021-34958 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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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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