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Pdf EditorApplication · Foxit

CVE-2022-43637

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.1.10 / 11.2.4 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 · unedited
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Foxit PDF Reader 12.0.1.12430. 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 U3D files. 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-18626.

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 confidence

A use-after-free or null pointer dereference vulnerability in Foxit PDF Reader's U3D (Universal 3D) file parser allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a specially crafted PDF file. The parser fails to validate object existence before performing operations on it, leading to memory corruption when the malicious U3D content is parsed.

MitigationUpdate Foxit PDF Reader to the latest version that includes the security fix for this vulnerability. Avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources.

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
Pdf EditorApplication
Affected:< 10.1.10>= 11.0.0, < 11.2.4>= 12.0.0.12394, < 12.0.2
Pdf ReaderApplication
Affected:< 12.0.2

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm Foxit PDF product installation
    On Windows, check Program Files for 'Foxit Reader' or 'Foxit PDF Editor' folders, or check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for Foxit entries. On macOS, check /Applications for Foxit Reader.app or Foxit PDF Editor.app.
    Affected if Either Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF Editor is installed on the system
  2. Identify the exact version number
    On Windows, right-click the Foxit icon, select Properties, and check the Details tab for the version. Alternatively, open Foxit, go to Help > About Foxit Reader (or About Foxit PDF Editor). On macOS, right-click the app in Applications, select Get Info, and note the version.
    Affected if The installed version cannot be determined or differs from what is displayed in the application
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    Review the version number against these affected ranges: Foxit PDF Editor < 10.1.10; >= 11.0.0 and < 11.2.4; >= 12.0.0.12394 and < 12.0.2; Foxit PDF Reader < 12.0.2.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: < 10.1.10, >= 11.0.0 but < 11.2.4, >= 12.0.0.12394 but < 12.0.2 (for Editor); or < 12.0.2 (for Reader)
  4. Check if U3D parsing is enabled
    In Foxit, go to File > Preferences > Security > Trust Manager, or look for settings related to 3D content and U3D under File > Preferences > 3D. The exact path varies by version. Look for options controlling U3D/3D content rendering or parsing.
    Affected if U3D or 3D content parsing is enabled in the Foxit settings (the vulnerability triggers when a specially crafted U3D file is parsed)

The environment is affected if Foxit PDF Reader (any version < 12.0.2) or Foxit PDF Editor (versions matching the affected ranges) is installed, and U3D parsing is enabled in the application settings.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 10.1.10 / 11.2.4 / 12.0.2 or later
Fixed in 10.1.1011.2.412.0.2
Interim mitigation

Update Foxit PDF Reader to the latest version that includes the security fix for this vulnerability. Avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Foxit Pdf Reader 12.0.2+; Foxit Pdf Editor 10.1.10+ (10.x), 11.2.4+ (11.x), or 12.0.2+ (12.x)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Foxit PDF product (Pdf Reader or Pdf Editor) and its exact version number
  2. 2. For Foxit Pdf Reader users: Upgrade to version 12.0.2 or later
  3. 3. For Foxit Pdf Editor users: Upgrade to version 10.1.10 or later if using version 10.x; upgrade to version 11.2.4 or later if using version 11.x; upgrade to version 12.0.2 or later if using version 12.x
  4. 4. Download the updated version from the official Foxit website at www.foxit.com
  5. 5. Close all Foxit applications before running the installer
  6. 6. Install the updated version and restart the application
Caveat Minor: Standard upgrade with no expected breaking changes; ensure backup of custom settings if desired

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Pdf Editor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-43637 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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