CVE-2021-38573
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 Reader and PhantomPDF before 10.1.4. It allows writing to arbitrary files because a CombineFiles pathname is not validated.
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 confidenceA path traversal vulnerability in Foxit Reader and PhantomPDF before version 10.1.4 allows attackers to write files to arbitrary locations on the file system due to insufficient validation of the CombineFiles pathname parameter.
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< 10.1.4< 10.1.4CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Foxit productCheck for Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF installation by looking in Program Files (C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\) or Program Files (x86), or search for foxit.exe or phantom.exe in the systemAffected if Either Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF is installed on the system
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Locate the application executableNavigate to the Foxit installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit Reader\ or C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\PhantomPDF\) and locate the main executable (foxitcore.exe, FoxitReader.exe, or PhantomPDF.exe)Affected if The executable exists in the expected installation path
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Determine installed versionRight-click the executable, select Properties, and check the Details tab for the Product Version field. Alternatively, open Foxit Reader/PhantomPDF, go to Help > About to view the version numberAffected if The version shown is below 10.1.4 (for example, 10.1.3, 10.1.0, or earlier)
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Confirm CombineFiles feature usageThe vulnerability specifically affects the CombineFiles functionality. Check if users have access to the Combine/Merge Files feature in Foxit (File > Combine Files or the Combine toolbar)Affected if The CombineFiles feature is available and the installed version is below 10.1.4
You are affected if Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF is installed with a version number lower than 10.1.4.
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 · scoped10.1.4
Upgrade Foxit Reader and PhantomPDF to version 10.1.4 or later to obtain the patched software that properly validates file paths before write operations.
10.1.4
- 1. Navigate to the official Foxit software download page at www.foxitsoftware.com
- 2. Locate and download Foxit Reader version 10.1.4 (or PhantomPDF if applicable)
- 3. Uninstall the current version of Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF from the system
- 4. Install the downloaded version 10.1.4
- 5. Launch the application and verify the version number displays 10.1.4
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-38573 — 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-2021-38573 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