CVE-2022-37385
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-17301.
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 or null pointer dereference vulnerability in Foxit PDF Reader 11.2.1.53537. The flaw exists in the handling of Doc objects where the software fails to validate the existence of an object before performing operations on it. An attacker can exploit this by crafting a malicious PDF file that triggers the vulnerability upon opening, allowing 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< 10.1.9>= 11.0.0, < 11.2.3= 12.0.0.12394< 12.0.1CVSS 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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Locate Foxit PDF Reader executableCheck common installation directories: C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit Reader\FoxitReader.exe or C:\Program Files (x86)\Foxit Software\Foxit Reader\FoxitReader.exe. Right-click the executable, select Properties, and view the Details tab for the product version.Affected if Foxit PDF Reader is installed with version less than 12.0.1
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Confirm version via application menuOpen Foxit PDF Reader, click Help in the menu bar, then select About Foxit Reader. The about dialog displays the exact version and build number.Affected if Version shown is 12.0.0 or earlier (versions below 12.0.1 are affected)
If Foxit PDF Reader is installed with a version number below 12.0.1, the environment is vulnerable to this CVE when processing malicious PDF files
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 · scoped10.1.911.2.312.0.1
Update Foxit PDF Reader to the latest version containing the vendor patch. Until patched, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and consider enabling protected view or disabling JavaScript in the reader.
Foxit Pdf Reader 12.0.1+ | Pdf Editor 10.1.9+ / 11.2.3+
- 1. Identify whether Foxit Pdf Editor or Pdf Reader is installed on the system
- 2. For Pdf Reader users: Upgrade to version 12.0.1 or later
- 3. For Pdf Editor users on 10.x branch: Upgrade to version 10.1.9 or later
- 4. For Pdf Editor users on 11.x branch: Upgrade to version 11.2.3 or later
- 5. For Pdf Editor users on 12.x branch: Upgrade to a version higher than 12.0.0.12394
- 6. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the fixed release
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-37385 — 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-2022-37385 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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