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Pdf EditorApplication · Foxit

CVE-2023-38112

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2024-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.1.4.1121 / 12.1.0.1229 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
Foxit PDF Reader XFA 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-21062.

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

This is a Use-After-Free vulnerability in Foxit PDF Reader's XFA (XML Forms Architecture) annotation handling. The flaw exists due to lack of validation of object existence before performing operations on Annotation objects, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged for remote code execution in the context of the current process.

MitigationUpdate Foxit PDF Reader to the latest patched version. Avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and exercise caution with email attachments or malicious web pages.

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:<= 10.1.12.37872>= 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
Pdf ReaderApplication
Affected:<= 12.1.2.15332< 12.1.0.1229

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:3.0/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 checks

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

  1. Identify if Foxit PDF software is installed
    Check the system for Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF Editor installations. Look in common installation directories (C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Foxit Software\) or use the system's program list.
    Affected if Either Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF Editor is found on the system
  2. Determine the installed Foxit version
    Open Foxit PDF Reader/Editor, then navigate to Help > About Foxit PDF Reader (or About Foxit PDF Editor). The version number will be displayed in the dialog box.
    Affected if Unable to determine version - cannot compare against affected ranges
  3. Compare Reader version against affected ranges
    If Foxit PDF Reader is installed, compare the version to the affected ranges: versions <= 12.1.2.15332 or < 12.1.0.1229. The exact version number is shown in the About dialog.
    Affected if Reader version falls within <= 12.1.2.15332 or < 12.1.0.1229
  4. Compare Editor version against affected ranges
    If Foxit PDF Editor is installed, compare the version to the affected ranges: <= 10.1.12.37872; >= 11.0.0 and <= 11.2.6.53790; >= 12.0.0 and <= 12.1.2.15332; < 11.1.4.1121; >= 12.0.0.0601 and < 12.1.0.1229. The exact version number is shown in the About dialog.
    Affected if Editor version falls within any of the listed affected ranges

If Foxit PDF Reader or Editor is installed and the version matches any of the affected version ranges, the environment is potentially affected by this Use-After-Free vulnerability in XFA annotation handling.

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 11.1.4.1121 / 12.1.0.1229 or later
Fixed in 11.1.4.112112.1.0.1229
Interim mitigation

Update Foxit PDF Reader to the latest patched version. Avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and exercise caution with email attachments or malicious web pages.

Recommended fix High confidence

Foxit Pdf Reader: 12.1.0.1229+; Foxit Pdf Editor: 11.1.4.1121+ (v11), 12.1.2.15333+ (v12), 10.1.12.37873+ (v10)

  1. 1. Identify the installed Foxit product (Pdf Reader or Pdf Editor) and note the current version number from the application
  2. 2. For Foxit Pdf Reader: Upgrade to version 12.1.0.1229 or later
  3. 3. For Foxit Pdf Editor: Upgrade to version 11.1.4.1121 or later for version 11.x; upgrade to version 12.1.2.15333 or later for version 12.x; upgrade to version 10.1.12.37873 or later for version 10.x
  4. 4. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking Help > About in the application
  5. 5. Ensure the updated version is running by reopening the application after upgrade
Caveat Standard minor version upgrade - no significant breaking changes expected; review Foxit release notes for any functionality changes

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

Fix this in Pdf Editor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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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-2023-38112 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