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Pdf EditorApplication · Foxit

CVE-2021-34973

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-07
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 11.0.1.49938 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Reader PDF File Parsing Use-After-Free Information Disclosure Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to disclose sensitive information on affected installations of Foxit PDF Reader. 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 parsing of PDF files. 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 in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-14968.

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

This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Foxit PDF Reader's PDF file parsing logic. The flaw occurs because the code fails to validate that an object exists before performing operations on it, allowing an attacker to access freed memory and disclose sensitive information. When chained with other vulnerabilities, this can lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process.

MitigationUpdate Foxit PDF Reader to the latest version provided by the vendor. Until patched, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources or visiting malicious webpages that could deliver specially crafted PDFs.

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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. Check if Foxit PDF software is installed
    Open the application or check installed programs list on the system for 'Foxit PDF Reader' or 'Foxit PDF Editor'
    Affected if Either Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF Editor is present on the system
  2. Determine the installed Foxit PDF version
    Open Foxit PDF Reader or Editor, then navigate to Help > About Foxit PDF Reader/Editor to view the exact version number
    Affected if The displayed version falls within the affected ranges: PDF Editor <= 10.1.5.37672, PDF Editor = 11.0.0.49893, PDF Editor = 11.0.1.49938, or PDF Reader <= 11.0.1.49938
  3. Identify if PDF file parsing is regularly used
    Check if the installed Foxit application is configured to automatically open PDF files or if users commonly open PDF documents using this software
    Affected if The software is used to open PDF files, as the vulnerability exists in the PDF file parsing logic
  4. Verify if PDF files from external or untrusted sources are handled
    Review whether the system or its users open PDF attachments from email, downloads from the internet, or PDF files from untrusted sources
    Affected if Users open PDF files from untrusted or external sources, as exploitation requires a specially crafted PDF file

The system is affected if Foxit PDF Reader version 11.0.1.49938 or earlier, or Foxit PDF Editor version 10.1.5.37672, 11.0.0.49893, or 11.0.1.49938 is installed and the software is used to open PDF files, particularly from untrusted sources.

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

Update Foxit PDF Reader to the latest version provided by the vendor. Until patched, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources or visiting malicious webpages that could deliver specially crafted PDFs.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest stable release of Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF Editor (version > 11.0.1.49938)

  1. 1. Navigate to the official Foxit website (www.foxit.com) to download the latest version of Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF Editor
  2. 2. Locate the current installed version by opening Foxit PDF Reader/Editor, then going to Help > About Foxit PDF Reader/Editor
  3. 3. Download the most recent stable release from the official Foxit downloads page
  4. 4. Close any running instances of Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF Editor
  5. 5. Run the installer and follow the prompts to upgrade to the latest version
  6. 6. After installation, verify the new version number in Help > About to confirm the upgrade was successful
  7. 7. Ensure Adobe Acrobat or other PDF readers are also updated if installed to minimize attack surface
Caveat Standard upgrade - review release notes for any changes to feature behavior or license terms

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
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $910
Get the upgrade done

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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-34973 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