CVE-2021-38567
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 Editor before 11.0.1 and PDF Reader before 11.0.1 on macOS. It mishandles missing dictionary entries, leading to a NULL pointer dereference, aka CNVD-C-2021-95204.
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 confidenceFoxit PDF Editor and Reader versions before 11.0.1 on macOS contain a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability when processing PDF files with missing dictionary entries. A specially crafted PDF file can trigger the mishandling, potentially causing the application to crash or enable code execution.
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<= 11.0.0.0510<= 11.0.0.0510CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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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Locate Foxit PDF application on macOSOpen Finder, navigate to /Applications folder, or use Spotlight (Cmd+Space) and search for 'Foxit' to find installed Foxit Reader or Foxit PDF EditorAffected if Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF Editor is installed on the system
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Determine installed Foxit versionRight-click the Foxit app in Applications, select 'Get Info', or open the app and go to Help > About Foxit Reader/Editor. Note the full version number displayed (format: x.x.x.xxxx)Affected if Version displayed is 11.0.0.0510 or lower, indicating a potentially vulnerable version
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Compare version against affected rangeReview the version number obtained in step 2. The affected versions are <= 11.0.0.0510. Versions prior to 11.0.1 are considered vulnerable.Affected if Installed version is 11.0.0.0510 or any earlier version such as 10.x.x or 9.x.x releases
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Verify macOS platformConfirm the Foxit application is running on macOS, as this vulnerability specifically affects the macOS platformAffected if The vulnerable software is running on macOS (the same vulnerability may not apply to Windows versions)
If Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor version 11.0.0.0510 or earlier is installed on macOS, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.
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 · scopedUpdate Foxit PDF Editor and Reader to version 11.0.1 or later on all macOS systems. Alternatively, avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources until the patch is applied.
Foxit PDF Reader/PDF Editor version 11.0.1 or later
- Upgrade Foxit PDF Reader from version 11.0.0.0510 or lower to version 11.0.1 or later on macOS
- Upgrade Foxit PDF Editor from version 11.0.0.0510 or lower to version 11.0.1 or later on macOS
- Verify the upgrade by checking the application version in the app's About section
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-2021-38567 — 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-2021-38567 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data