CVE-2022-28673
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 · uneditedThis vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Foxit PDF Reader 11.2.1.53537. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the handling of Doc objects. The issue results from the lack of validating the existence of an object prior to performing operations on the object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-16641.
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 confidenceThis is a use-after-free vulnerability in Foxit PDF Reader 11.2.1.53537 where the software fails to validate the existence of Doc objects before performing operations on them. An attacker can exploit this by tricking a user into opening a malicious PDF file, leading to arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process.
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<= 10.1.7.37777>= 11.0, <= 11.2.1.53537<= 11.2.1.53537CVSS 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 if Foxit PDF software is installedCheck for Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF Editor in the list of installed programs on the system. On Windows, this can be done via Control Panel > Programs and Features, or by running: Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Where-Object {$_.Name -like '*Foxit*'}Affected if Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF Editor is present on the system
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Determine the installed Foxit versionRight-click on the Foxit application icon, select Properties, and view the Details tab for version information. Alternatively, locate the executable file (typically in C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit PDF Reader\ or similar) and check its file properties.Affected if The version displayed cannot be determined or is lower than 10.1.7.37777, or falls between 11.0 and 11.2.1.53537 inclusive
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Compare installed version against affected rangesCompare your identified version number to the affected ranges: Foxit PDF Editor versions <= 10.1.7.37777 OR >= 11.0 through 11.2.1.53537; Foxit PDF Reader versions <= 11.2.1.53537. Note that versions newer than 11.2.1.53537 are not affected.Affected if The installed version matches any of the affected ranges listed above
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Verify the application handles untrusted PDF filesCheck whether the system or user regularly opens PDF files from email attachments, downloads, or other untrusted sources using Foxit PDF Reader or Editor. This can be confirmed by reviewing browser download history, email client attachments, or user workflow documentation.Affected if Users routinely open PDF files from untrusted or unknown sources using the affected Foxit application
A system is affected if Foxit PDF Reader version <= 11.2.1.53537 or Foxit PDF Editor version <= 10.1.7.37777 or between 11.0 and 11.2.1.53537 is installed and users open PDF files with it.
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.
From vendor dataApply the vendor security patch from Foxit to update to a patched version of PDF Reader, and educate users to avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources.
- 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-2022-28673 — 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-2022-28673 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
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