dbcve.org
Pdf EditorApplication · Foxit

CVE-2021-34960

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2024-05-07
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 11.0.1.49938 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 · unedited
Foxit PDF Editor Circle 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-14362.

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 confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in Foxit PDF Editor's Circle Annotation handling. The software fails to validate object existence before operating on it, allowing an attacker who crafts a malicious PDF to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process upon user interaction.

MitigationApply the vendor-released security patch for Foxit PDF Editor; until patched, avoid opening untrusted PDF files and consider disabling JavaScript execution in the reader as defense-in-depth.

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
Pdf EditorApplication
Affected:<= 10.1.5.37672= 11.0.0.49893= 11.0.1.49938
Pdf ReaderApplication
Affected:<= 11.0.1.49938

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Foxit product installation
    Check for installed Foxit PDF Editor or Reader by looking in Program Files (Windows) or Applications (Mac) for Foxit software, or check Add/Remove Programs
    Affected if Either Foxit PDF Editor or Foxit PDF Reader is installed
  2. Determine Foxit PDF Editor version
    In Foxit PDF Editor, go to Help > About Foxit PDF Editor to view the exact version number (for example: 10.1.5.37672)
    Affected if Version is 10.1.5.37672 or earlier, or equals 11.0.0.49893, or equals 11.0.1.49938
  3. Determine Foxit PDF Reader version
    In Foxit PDF Reader, go to Help > About Foxit PDF Reader to view the exact version number (for example: 11.0.1.49938)
    Affected if Version is 11.0.1.49938 or earlier

You are affected if Foxit PDF Editor version is 10.1.5.37672 or earlier, or exactly 11.0.0.49893 or 11.0.1.49938; or if Foxit PDF Reader version is 11.0.1.49938 or earlier.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 11.0.1.49938
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-released security patch for Foxit PDF Editor; until patched, avoid opening untrusted PDF files and consider disabling JavaScript execution in the reader as defense-in-depth.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Foxit PDF Editor 11.0.2 or later; Foxit PDF Reader 11.0.2 or later

  1. 1. Visit the official Foxit software download page at https://www.foxit.com/downloads/
  2. 2. Download the latest version of Foxit PDF Editor or Foxit PDF Reader, depending on which product is installed
  3. 3. Uninstall the current version of the software
  4. 4. Install the latest downloaded version of the software
  5. 5. Verify the installation was successful by checking the software version in the Help > About menu
  6. 6. Ensure Adobe Acrobat or other PDF readers are set to use Foxit as the default handler for PDF files to prevent accidental opening in vulnerable software
Caveat Standard upgrade - minimal risk; ensure PDF plugin integrations are compatible

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Pdf Editor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-34960 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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