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Pdf EditorApplication · Foxit

CVE-2021-34962

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 Caret 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-14364.

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

CVE-2021-34962 is a use-after-free vulnerability in Foxit PDF Editor's Caret Annotation handling. The vulnerability stems from the lack of validation of object existence before performing operations on Annotation objects, allowing an attacker to free memory and then use the dangling pointer to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. Exploitation requires user interaction, specifically opening a malicious PDF file.

MitigationApply the vendor patch by updating Foxit PDF Editor to the latest version. Until patched, instruct users to avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and consider running the application with reduced privileges.

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 installed Foxit application
    Check for Foxit PDF Editor or Foxit PDF Reader in installed programs (Control Panel > Programs and Features on Windows, or check Applications folder on macOS)
    Affected if Either Foxit PDF Editor or Foxit PDF Reader is installed
  2. Determine installed version of Foxit PDF Editor
    Open Foxit PDF Editor, click Help > About Foxit PDF Editor, or right-click the application in Programs and Features and select 'Change' or 'Properties' to view version
    Affected if Version is <= 10.1.5.37672, or equals 11.0.0.49893, or equals 11.0.1.49938
  3. Determine installed version of Foxit PDF Reader
    Open Foxit PDF Reader, click Help > About Foxit PDF Reader, or check the application's properties to view version
    Affected if Version is <= 11.0.1.49938 (any version up to and including this release)
  4. Assess PDF opening behavior
    Interview users or review endpoint monitoring logs to determine if users open PDF files from untrusted or unknown sources
    Affected if Users routinely open PDF files from email attachments, downloads, or other untrusted sources without prior validation

A user is 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 Foxit PDF Reader version is 11.0.1.49938 or earlier, and the application is used to open PDF files.

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 patch by updating Foxit PDF Editor to the latest version. Until patched, instruct users to avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and consider running the application with reduced privileges.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Foxit PDF Editor/PDF Reader version 11.0.2 or later

  1. 1. Close all instances of Foxit PDF Editor or Foxit PDF Reader.
  2. 2. Navigate to the official Foxit website at www.foxit.com to download the latest version.
  3. 3. Download and install the most recent stable version of Foxit PDF Editor and/or Foxit PDF Reader.
  4. 4. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release (version 11.0.2 or later).
  5. 5. Restart the application and confirm it launches without errors.
Caveat Users should review release notes for any changes to features or behavior between affected and fixed versions

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
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

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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-2021-34962 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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