CVE-2021-45980
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 and PDF Editor before 11.1 on macOS allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via getURL in the JavaScript API.
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 PDF Editor for macOS versions before 11.1 contain a vulnerability in the JavaScript API where the getURL function can be leveraged by remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. This is a code execution flaw that could be triggered by a malicious PDF file opened by the victim.
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< 11.1< 11.1CVSS 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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Verify Foxit PDF application is installedOpen Finder, navigate to /Applications folder, and look for 'Foxit Reader.app' or 'Foxit PDF Editor.app'. Alternatively, run: ls /Applications | grep -i ftxAffected if Either Foxit Reader or Foxit PDF Editor appears in the Applications folder
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Determine the installed version numberRight-click the Foxit app in Applications, select 'Get Info', and read the Version number. Alternatively, run: defaults read /Applications/Foxit\ Reader.app/Contents/Info CFBundleShortVersionString (adjust path for PDF Editor if needed)Affected if The version shown is a number less than 11.1 (for example, 11.0.1, 10.1.x, etc.)
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Confirm JavaScript is enabled in the applicationOpen the Foxit application, go to Edit > Preferences (or Foxit PDF Editor > Preferences on newer macOS), navigate to JavaScript section and verify if JavaScript is enabledAffected if JavaScript is enabled in the Foxit preferences (the vulnerability exploits the JavaScript API getURL function)
You are affected if Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor for macOS is installed with a version number lower than 11.1 and JavaScript is enabled in the application settings.
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 · scoped11.1
Update Foxit PDF Reader and PDF Editor to version 11.1 or later on all macOS systems. This is a straightforward version update to remediate the vulnerability.
11.1
- Download Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor version 11.1 or later from the official Foxit website (www.foxit.com)
- Install the updated version, replacing any vulnerable installation on macOS
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-45980 — 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-2021-45980 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