CVE-2022-37388
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 11.2.2.53575. 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 parsing of PDF files. Crafted data in a PDF file can trigger a read past the end of an allocated buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-17516.
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 an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Foxit PDF Reader 11.2.2.53575 during PDF file parsing. A specially crafted PDF file can trigger a read past the end of an allocated buffer, which can be leveraged to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process. User interaction is required (opening a malicious PDF file).
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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Verify Foxit PDF Reader is installedCheck for the presence of Foxit PDF Reader on the system by looking in the default installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit PDF Reader\) or by searching for FoxitPDFReader.exe in the system.Affected if Foxit PDF Reader is found on the system
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Determine the installed version of Foxit PDF ReaderRight-click on FoxitPDFReader.exe in the installation directory, select Properties, then view the Details tab to see the Product Version. Alternatively, open Foxit PDF Reader, click Help > About Foxit PDF Reader to display the version number.Affected if The displayed version is less than 12.0.1
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Confirm the specific vulnerable version rangeCompare your installed version against the affected ranges: any version before 12.0.1 is vulnerable. For reference: 11.2.2.53575 (mentioned in the CVE description) is affected, as are all versions from 11.0.0 through 11.2.2, and any version prior to 10.1.9.Affected if The installed version falls below 12.0.1 (the fixed version)
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Check if Foxit PDF Editor is installed as an alternativeIf Foxit PDF Reader is not found, check for Foxit PDF Editor (FoxitPDFEditor.exe) in the default installation directory (C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit PDF Editor\). Determine its version via Properties > Details or Help > About.Affected if Foxit PDF Editor is installed with version < 10.1.9, or >= 11.0.0 and < 11.2.3, or exactly 12.0.0.12394
If Foxit PDF Reader version is below 12.0.1, or Foxit PDF Editor matches any of the vulnerable Editor version ranges, the environment is affected by this CVE and could be exploited by opening a malicious PDF file.
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 with the vendor patch. Avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources.
Pdf Editor: 10.1.9 or later (for v10.x), 11.2.3 or later (for v11.x), or build > 12.0.0.12394 (for v12.x) | Pdf Reader: 12.0.1 or later
- 1. Identify which Foxit product is installed (Pdf Editor or Pdf Reader) and note the current version number.
- 2. For Foxit Pdf Editor: If the current version is < 10.1.9, upgrade to version 10.1.9 or later.
- 3. For Foxit Pdf Editor: If the current version is 11.0.0 through 11.2.2, upgrade to version 11.2.3 or later.
- 4. For Foxit Pdf Editor: If the current version is exactly 12.0.0.12394, upgrade to a newer build beyond 12.0.0.12394.
- 5. For Foxit Pdf Reader: If the current version is < 12.0.1, upgrade to version 12.0.1 or later.
- 6. Download the appropriate fixed version from the official Foxit website at www.foxit.com.
- 7. Uninstall the current version or run the installer to upgrade to the fixed version.
- 8. Verify the installed version matches a non-vulnerable release.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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-2022-37388 — 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-2022-37388 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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