CVE-2021-38564
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in Foxit PDF Reader before 11.0.1 and PDF Editor before 11.0.1. It allows an out-of-bounds read via util.scand.
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 · moderate confidenceAn out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in Foxit PDF Reader and PDF Editor versions prior to 11.0.1. The flaw is located in the util.scand function, which fails to properly validate bounds when processing PDF data, potentially allowing an attacker to read sensitive memory contents or cause a denial-of-service condition.
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< 11.0.1< 11.0.1CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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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Check if Foxit PDF software is installedOn Windows, open Control Panel > Programs and Features and look for 'Foxit PDF Reader' or 'Foxit PDF Editor'. Alternatively, check common installation paths such as C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Foxit Software\Affected if Either Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF Editor appears in installed programs
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Determine the installed version of Foxit PDF ReaderRight-click the Foxit PDF Reader desktop shortcut or executable, select Properties, and view the version number on the Details tab. Or, open Foxit Reader, click Help > About Foxit Reader to display the versionAffected if The displayed version is below 11.0.1 (for example, 11.0.0, 10.x, or earlier)
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Determine the installed version of Foxit PDF EditorRight-click the Foxit PDF Editor shortcut or executable, select Properties, and view the version on the Details tab. Or, open Foxit Editor, click Help > About Foxit PDF Editor to display the versionAffected if The displayed version is below 11.0.1 (for example, 11.0.0, 10.x, or earlier)
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Verify the exact version stringCompare your installed version number against the affected range. Note that versions like 11.0.0.49838 or similar point releases should be treated as below 11.0.1Affected if The full version string indicates any version prior to the 11.0.1 release
You are affected if Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor is installed and the version number is less than 11.0.1.
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.
dbcve · scoped11.0.1
Update Foxit PDF Reader and PDF Editor to version 11.0.1 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Until the update is applied, exercise caution when opening PDF files from untrusted sources.
11.0.1 or later
- Identify the currently installed Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor version
- Navigate to the official Foxit website at www.foxitsoftware.com
- Download Foxit PDF Reader version 11.0.1 or later, or PDF Editor version 11.0.1 or later
- Run the installer and follow the prompts to upgrade to the fixed version
- Verify the installation was successful by checking the updated version number
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-38564 — 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-2021-38564 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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- 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
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