CVE-2023-27331
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 · uneditedFoxit PDF Reader Annotation Use-After-Free Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Foxit PDF Reader. 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 Annotation 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-19475.
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 confidenceUse-After-Free vulnerability in Foxit PDF Reader's Annotation object handling where the software fails to validate object existence before performing operations, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via malicious PDF files through the current process context.
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< 10.1.10.37854>= 11.0.0.49893, < 11.2.4.53774>= 12.0.0.12394, < 12.1.0.15250< 12.1.0.15250CVSS 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:3.0/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 Foxit PDF Reader installationCheck for Foxit PDF Reader in installed programs list (Windows Settings > Apps > Apps & features, or review Program Files/Foxit Software folder)Affected if Foxit PDF Reader version is present and below 12.1.0.15250
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Determine installed Foxit PDF Reader versionRight-click the Foxit PDF Reader executable, select Properties, and view the Details tab for Product Version; or launch the application and go to Help > About Foxit PDF ReaderAffected if Version displayed is earlier than 12.1.0.15250
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Identify Foxit PDF Editor installation (if Reader not present)Check installed programs list or Program Files/Foxit Software folder for Foxit PDF EditorAffected if Foxit PDF Editor is installed with version < 10.1.10.37854, or between 11.0.0.49893 and 11.2.4.53774, or between 12.0.0.12394 and 12.1.0.15250
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Verify Annotation handling is activeThe vulnerability affects the Annotation feature which is core to PDF viewing; no configuration toggle needed - this is default behavior when opening PDFs with annotationsAffected if The software processes PDF files containing annotation objects, which is standard functionality
You are affected if Foxit PDF Reader version is below 12.1.0.15250, or Foxit PDF Editor matches any of the specified vulnerable version ranges, as the vulnerability is triggered automatically when opening a malicious PDF file with crafted Annotation objects.
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 · scoped10.1.10.3785411.2.4.5377412.1.0.15250
Update Foxit PDF Reader to the latest version; avoid opening untrusted PDF files and consider disabling JavaScript execution in PDF settings as a defense-in-depth measure.
Pdf Reader: 12.1.0.15250 or later; Pdf Editor: 10.1.10.37854 or later (for v10.x), 11.2.4.53774 or later (for v11.x), or 12.1.0.15250 or later (for v12.x)
- Identify the installed Foxit product (Pdf Reader or Pdf Editor) by opening the application and checking Help > About
- For Pdf Reader users: Download and install version 12.1.0.15250 or later from the official Foxit website
- For Pdf Editor users: Determine the currently installed major version (10.x, 11.x, or 12.x) and upgrade to the corresponding fixed version: 10.1.10.37854 or later for version 10.x, 11.2.4.53774 or later for version 11.x, or 12.1.0.15250 or later for version 12.x
- Download the update from the official Foxit website at www.foxit.com
- Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the upgrade
- Restart Foxit application after installation completes
- Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the target fixed version via Help > About
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-27331 — 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-2023-27331 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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