CVE-2021-41785
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 · uneditedFoxit 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 confidenceFoxit PDF Reader and Editor before version 11.1 and PhantomPDF before version 10.1.6 contain a use-after-free vulnerability in their JavaScript handling that can be exploited by attackers to execute arbitrary code.
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, < 11.1>= 11.0, < 11.1< 10.1.6CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Foxit productCheck for Foxit PDF Reader, Foxit PDF Editor, or PhantomPDF in the system program list (Control Panel > Programs and Features, or check Program Files folder for Foxit entries)Affected if No Foxit product is found - not affected; if found, continue to version check
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Determine installed version numberRight-click the Foxit application icon, select 'Properties', then go to the 'Details' tab to view the 'File Version' or 'Product Version'. Alternatively, open the app and go to Help > About Foxit [Product Name]Affected if Version cannot be determined - further investigation needed
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Compare version to affected rangesFor Foxit PDF Reader or Editor: check if version is >= 11.0 but < 11.1. For PhantomPDF: check if version is < 10.1.6Affected if Version falls within the affected ranges (11.0 to <11.1 for Reader/Editor, or <10.1.6 for PhantomPDF) - likely affected
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Confirm JavaScript functionality is enabledIn Foxit, go to File > Preferences > JavaScript. Check if JavaScript is enabled or if any JavaScript APIs are configuredAffected if JavaScript is enabled - vulnerability is exploitable through JavaScript handling; if disabled, the attack surface is reduced but the software is still vulnerable
If Foxit PDF Reader/Editor version 11.0 to <11.1 or PhantomPDF version <10.1.6 is installed with JavaScript enabled, the environment is affected by this CVE.
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 · scoped10.1.611.1
Upgrade to Foxit PDF Reader/Editor version 11.1 or later, or PhantomPDF version 10.1.6 or later, to patch the use-after-free vulnerability.
PDF Reader and PDF Editor to 11.1; PhantomPDF to 10.1.6
- Upgrade Foxit PDF Reader to version 11.1 or later
- Upgrade Foxit PDF Editor to version 11.1 or later
- Upgrade Foxit PhantomPDF to version 10.1.6 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $2,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-41785 — 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-2021-41785 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