CVE-2021-38574
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 SQL Injection via crafted data at the end of a string.
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 confidenceSQL injection vulnerability in Foxit Reader and PhantomPDF allows attackers to inject malicious SQL queries through crafted data appended to a string. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to 10.1.4 and carries a CRITICAL severity due to the potential for unauthorized database access, data exfiltration, or manipulation.
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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Check Foxit Reader versionOpen Foxit Reader, go to Help > About Foxit Reader, or right-click the application in the Start menu and select Properties to view the version numberAffected if Version is listed as less than 10.1.4
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Check PhantomPDF versionOpen PhantomPDF, go to Help > About Foxit PhantomPDF, or right-click the application in the Start menu and select Properties to view the version numberAffected if Version is listed as less than 10.1.4
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Verify exact version via installed programs listOpen Windows Settings > Apps > Apps & features, locate Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF in the list, and note the version number displayedAffected if The displayed version number is below 10.1.4
You are affected if either 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
Apply vendor patch by upgrading Foxit Reader and PhantomPDF to version 10.1.4 or later. Until patched, restrict use of the software to trusted documents and monitor for unusual database activity.
Foxit Reader and PhantomPDF version 10.1.4
- 1. Backup any important PDF files and user settings before upgrading
- 2. Uninstall the current version of Foxit Reader or PhantomPDF
- 3. Download Foxit Reader version 10.1.4 or later from the official Foxit website (www.foxitsoftware.com)
- 4. Download PhantomPDF version 10.1.4 or later from the official Foxit website if using PhantomPDF
- 5. Run the installer for the new version and follow the installation prompts
- 6. Verify the installed version by going to Help > About Foxit Reader/PhantomPDF to confirm version 10.1.4 or higher is installed
- 7. Test that PDF functionality works normally after the upgrade
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
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-38574 — 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-2021-38574 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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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.
- 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