dbcve.org
Pdf EditorApplication · Foxitsoftware

CVE-2021-38565

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.0.1 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
An issue was discovered in Foxit PDF Reader before 11.0.1 and PDF Editor before 11.0.1. It allows writing to arbitrary files via submitForm.

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 confidence

Foxit PDF Reader and PDF Editor before version 11.0.1 contain a vulnerability in the submitForm function that allows writing to arbitrary file locations on the local system. This file write primitive could be exploited to overwrite system files, create scheduled tasks, or drop malicious payloads.

MitigationUpgrade to Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor version 11.0.1 or later. Until then, restrict PDF handling to trusted documents and disable JavaScript execution in the PDF reader as a defense-in-depth measure.

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:< 11.0.1
Pdf ReaderApplication
Affected:< 11.0.1

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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 Reader is installed
    Look for Foxit PDF Reader in the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall or inspect C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit PDF Reader\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Foxit Software\Foxit PDF Reader\ for the FoxitPDFReader.exe file
    Affected if Foxit PDF Reader is found on the system
  2. Check if Foxit PDF Editor is installed
    Look for Foxit PDF Editor in the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall or inspect C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit PDF Editor\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Foxit Software\Foxit PDF Editor\ for the FoxitPDFEditor.exe file
    Affected if Foxit PDF Editor is found on the system
  3. Determine the installed version of Foxit PDF Reader
    Right-click FoxitPDFReader.exe, select Properties, and check the File Version field on the Details tab. Alternatively, run Get-ItemProperty on the executable in PowerShell to retrieve the PSFileVersion or FileVersion property
    Affected if The displayed version number is lower than 11.0.1 (for example, 10.x, 9.x, or earlier)
  4. Determine the installed version of Foxit PDF Editor
    Right-click FoxitPDFEditor.exe, select Properties, and check the File Version field on the Details tab. Alternatively, run Get-ItemProperty on the executable in PowerShell to retrieve the PSFileVersion or FileVersion property
    Affected if The displayed version number is lower than 11.0.1 (for example, 10.x, 9.x, or earlier)

The system is affected if Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor is installed with a version number less than 11.0.1, as the vulnerable submitForm function exists in those versions.

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 11.0.1 or later
Fixed in 11.0.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor version 11.0.1 or later. Until then, restrict PDF handling to trusted documents and disable JavaScript execution in the PDF reader as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix High confidence

Foxit PDF Reader/Editor 11.0.1 or later

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed version of Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Foxit PDF Reader/Editor
  2. 2. If the version is below 11.0.1, download version 11.0.1 or later from the official Foxit website at www.foxitsoftware.com
  3. 3. Close any running instances of Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor
  4. 4. Uninstall the current version through Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features
  5. 5. Run the installer for the downloaded Foxit 11.0.1 or later version
  6. 6. Follow the installation wizard prompts to complete the installation
  7. 7. Verify the installed version by checking Help > About to confirm version 11.0.1 or higher is now installed

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
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2021-38565 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