CVE-2023-38107
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-21019.
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 confidenceFoxit PDF Reader contains a use-after-free vulnerability in its Annotation object handling. The vulnerability results from the lack of validating an object's existence before performing operations on it, allowing an attacker to free memory and then use the dangling pointer to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. Exploitation requires user interaction, either by opening a malicious PDF file or visiting a malicious webpage that embeds a crafted PDF.
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<= 10.1.12.37872>= 11.0.0, <= 11.2.6.53790>= 12.0.0, <= 12.1.2.15332< 11.1.4.1121>= 12.0.0.0601, < 12.1.0.1229<= 12.1.2.15332< 12.1.0.1229CVSS 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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Verify Foxit PDF Reader installationCheck for the presence of Foxit PDF Reader executable. Common paths: C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit Reader\FoxitReader.exe (Windows) or /Applications/Foxit Reader.app (macOS). On Linux, check /opt/foxitsoftware/foxitreader/ or via package manager.Affected if Foxit PDF Reader is installed on the system
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Determine installed Foxit PDF Reader versionRight-click the FoxitReader.exe file, select Properties, and check the Details tab for the Product Version. Alternatively, open Foxit Reader, go to Help > About Foxit Reader to view the exact version number.Affected if The installed version falls within these vulnerable ranges: <= 12.1.2.15332 or < 12.1.0.1229
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Check for Foxit PDF Editor installationVerify if Foxit PDF Editor is also installed (it shares vulnerable versions). Check C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit PDF Editor\FoxitPDFEditor.exe or /Applications/Foxit PDF Editor.app. Get the version via Properties Details or Help > About.Affected if Foxit PDF Editor is installed with version <= 10.1.12.37872, or >= 11.0.0 and <= 11.2.6.53790, or >= 12.0.0 and <= 12.1.2.15332, or < 11.1.4.1121, or >= 12.0.0.0601 and < 12.1.0.1229
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Verify JavaScript execution settingIn Foxit Reader, go to Edit > Preferences > JavaScript. Check if Enable Adobe JavaScript is checked. Alternatively, navigate to the registry key HKCU\Software\Foxit Software\Foxit Reader\Preferences\JavaScript (if applicable) to see if JavaScript is enabled.Affected if JavaScript is enabled in the Foxit application (this increases exploitability but the vulnerability exists regardless)
A user is affected if they have any vulnerable Foxit PDF Reader or Editor version installed, regardless of JavaScript settings, and they open 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.
From vendor data11.1.4.112112.1.0.1229
Apply the vendor-released patch/update for Foxit PDF Reader to the latest version. As a workaround, avoid opening untrusted PDF files and disable JavaScript execution in the PDF reader.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-38107 — 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-2023-38107 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data