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Pdf EditorApplication · Foxit

CVE-2021-34975

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 Reader transitionToState Use-After-Free Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code 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 implementation of the transitionToState method. 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-15218.

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 Reader's transitionToState method. The flaw results from lack of validating object existence before performing operations on it, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process via malicious PDF files or web pages.

MitigationUpdate Foxit PDF Reader to the latest version and avoid opening untrusted PDF files or visiting malicious web pages.

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. Confirm Foxit PDF product is installed
    Check for Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF Editor in the list of installed programs (Windows: Settings > Apps > Apps & features; macOS: Finder > Applications)
    Affected if Either Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF Editor is present on the system
  2. Identify the exact product name and version
    Open Foxit, go to Help > About Foxit PDF Reader (or Editor). Alternatively, right-click the application in the Start menu, select Properties, and view the Version field in the Details tab
    Affected if The version displayed does not match the product name listed in the affected versions (specifically Reader <= 11.0.1.49938 or Editor matching the specific versions listed)
  3. Compare installed version against affected ranges
    For Foxit PDF Reader: any version <= 11.0.1.49938 is affected. For Foxit PDF Editor: versions <= 10.1.5.37672, or exactly 11.0.0.49893, or exactly 11.0.1.49938 are affected
    Affected if The installed version falls within these ranges: Reader <= 11.0.1.49938, or Editor <= 10.1.5.37672, = 11.0.0.49893, or = 11.0.1.49938

A user is affected if Foxit PDF Reader version 11.0.1.49938 or earlier, or Foxit PDF Editor version 10.1.5.37672 or earlier (or specifically 11.0.0.49893 or 11.0.1.49938) is installed on their system.

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 and avoid opening untrusted PDF files or visiting malicious web pages.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Foxit PDF Reader/Editor version 11.0.2 or later (check Foxit website for latest stable release)

  1. 1. Identify the installed Foxit product (PDF Reader or PDF Editor) and note the current version number
  2. 2. Navigate to the Foxit software download page or check for updates within the application
  3. 3. Download and install the latest version of Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor from the official Foxit website (www.foxit.com)
  4. 4. Alternatively, within the Foxit application, go to Help > Check for Updates to retrieve the patched version
  5. 5. Verify the installation was successful and confirm the version has been updated
Caveat Minimal risk - standard version upgrade; review release notes for any feature changes

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

Fix this in Pdf Editor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2021-34975 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