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Pdf EditorApplication · Foxit

CVE-2021-41783

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-08-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.1.6 / 11.1 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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
Foxit PDF Reader before 11.1 and PDF Editor before 11.1, and PhantomPDF before 10.1.6, allow attackers to trigger a use-after-free and execute arbitrary code because JavaScript is mishandled.

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 confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability in Foxit PDF Reader before 11.1, PDF Editor before 11.1, and PhantomPDF before 10.1.6 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via mishandled JavaScript. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management when processing JavaScript within PDF documents, enabling memory corruption that can be leveraged for code execution.

MitigationUpdate Foxit PDF Reader, PDF Editor, or PhantomPDF to version 11.1 (or 10.1.6 for PhantomPDF) or later to patch the use-after-free vulnerability. Avoid opening untrusted PDF files until the update is applied.

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, < 11.1
Pdf ReaderApplication
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.1
PhantompdfApplication
Affected:< 10.1.6

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if Foxit PDF software is installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion' in PowerShell to list installed programs. Look for Foxit PDF Reader, Foxit PDF Editor, or Foxit PhantomPDF.
    Affected if Any Foxit PDF product is found in the installed programs list
  2. Determine the installed Foxit version
    If Foxit is installed, find the exact version by right-clicking the Foxit icon, selecting Properties, and checking the Details tab, or by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Foxit. Note the full version number (e.g., 11.0.0.x).
    Affected if The version falls within 11.0 to 11.0.x for PDF Reader or PDF Editor, or is below 10.1.6 for PhantomPDF
  3. Verify if JavaScript is enabled in Foxit
    In Foxit PDF Reader/Editor, go to Edit > Preferences > JavaScript. Alternatively, go to File > Preferences > Security > JavaScript Settings. Check if the option to enable JavaScript is checked or enabled.
    Affected if JavaScript is enabled in the Foxit PDF application settings
  4. Check recent PDF file handling
    Review recently opened PDF files for any from untrusted or unknown sources. Check the browser download history or Windows Recent Items for PDF files opened in Foxit.
    Affected if Users have opened PDFs from untrusted sources while using a vulnerable version

A user is affected if they have Foxit PDF Reader, PDF Editor, or PhantomPDF installed with version 11.0.x (Reader/Editor) or below 10.1.6 (PhantomPDF) and JavaScript is enabled in the application settings.

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 10.1.6 / 11.1 or later
Fixed in 10.1.611.1
Interim mitigation

Update Foxit PDF Reader, PDF Editor, or PhantomPDF to version 11.1 (or 10.1.6 for PhantomPDF) or later to patch the use-after-free vulnerability. Avoid opening untrusted PDF files until the update is applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Foxit Pdf Reader 11.1 / Foxit PDF Editor 11.1 / PhantomPDF 10.1.6

  1. 1. Identify which Foxit PDF product is installed (Pdf Reader, Pdf Editor, or PhantomPDF)
  2. 2. For Foxit Pdf Reader: navigate to Help > About Foxit Reader to check current version
  3. 3. For Foxit Pdf Editor: navigate to Help > About Foxit Editor to check current version
  4. 4. For PhantomPDF: navigate to Help > About PhantomPDF to check current version
  5. 5. Download the fixed version from the official Foxit website (www.foxit.com)
  6. 6. If using Pdf Reader or Pdf Editor >= 11.0, upgrade to version 11.1 or later
  7. 7. If using PhantomPDF, upgrade to version 10.1.6 or later
  8. 8. Install the updated version and restart the application

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Pdf Editor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
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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-2021-41783 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