dbcve.org
Pdf EditorApplication · Foxit

CVE-2022-43639

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-18628.

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

Foxit PDF Reader 12.0.1.12430 contains a use-after-free or null pointer dereference vulnerability in its U3D (Universal 3D) file parsing logic. The software fails to validate object existence before performing operations on it, allowing remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution through malicious PDF files or web pages containing crafted U3D content.

MitigationUpdate Foxit PDF Reader to the latest version released by the vendor. Until patched, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources or disable automatic rendering of 3D content.

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. Identify the installed Foxit PDF version
    Open Foxit PDF Reader or Editor, then go to Help > About Foxit PDF Reader (or Editor) to view the exact version number displayed in the dialog. Alternatively, right-click the executable file in Program Files, select Properties, and check the Version tab.
    Affected if The version displayed is less than 12.0.2, or for Editor specifically: less than 10.1.10, or between 11.0.0 and 11.2.4 exclusive, or between 12.0.0.12394 and 12.0.2 exclusive.
  2. Confirm the product type (Reader or Editor)
    Verify whether the installed software is Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF Editor, as each has different affected version ranges. This is visible in the About dialog or the application title bar.
    Affected if The product is Foxit PDF Reader with version below 12.0.2, or Foxit PDF Editor with any of the affected Editor version ranges.
  3. Check if 3D/U3D content rendering is enabled
    Open Preferences (Ctrl+Comma), then navigate to the 3D or Trust Manager section (location varies by version). Look for options related to 'Enable U3D' or 'Render 3D content' or 'Enable reading of 3D content in PDFs'.
    Affected if 3D/U3D rendering is enabled, as the vulnerability is triggered when the software parses crafted U3D objects within PDF files.
  4. Review recent PDF files opened
    Check the document list or recent files feature within Foxit to see if PDFs from untrusted or unknown sources have been opened recently, especially files that may contain embedded 3D content.
    Affected if PDFs from untrusted sources have been opened, as the exploit requires a malicious crafted U3D object in a PDF file.

A user is affected if they run Foxit PDF Reader below version 12.0.2 or Foxit PDF Editor in the affected version ranges, and they have 3D/U3D rendering enabled while opening PDF files from untrusted sources.

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 released by the vendor. Until patched, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources or disable automatic rendering of 3D content.

Recommended fix High confidence

Pdf Editor: 10.1.10, 11.2.4, or 12.0.2 (depending on branch); Pdf Reader: 12.0.2

  1. 1. Identify the installed Foxit PDF product (Pdf Editor or Pdf Reader) and its exact version number
  2. 2. For Pdf Editor 10.x users: upgrade to version 10.1.10 or later
  3. 3. For Pdf Editor 11.x users: upgrade to version 11.2.4 or later
  4. 4. For Pdf Editor 12.x users: upgrade to version 12.0.2 or later
  5. 5. For Pdf Reader users: upgrade to version 12.0.2 or later
  6. 6. After upgrading, verify the new version by checking Help > About in the application
  7. 7. Exercise caution when opening PDF files from untrusted sources, as user interaction is required to trigger this vulnerability

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

Fix this in Pdf Editor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2022-43639 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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