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Pdf EditorApplication · Foxit

CVE-2023-51556

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2024-05-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2023.2.0.21408 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 AcroForm Doc 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 Doc 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-22255.

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 contains a use-after-free vulnerability in AcroForm Doc object handling. The software fails to validate object existence before performing operations, allowing a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code via a maliciously crafted PDF file requiring user interaction.

MitigationUpdate Foxit PDF Reader to the latest patched version. Avoid opening untrusted PDF files and disable JavaScript execution in PDF readers as additional defense-in-depth measures.

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, <= 11.2.7.53812>= 12.0.0, <= 12.1.3.15356= 13.0.0.21632= 2023.1.0.15510= 2023.2.0.21408
Pdf ReaderApplication
Affected:<= 2023.2.0.21408

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. Check if Foxit PDF Reader or Editor is installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, or check common install paths such as C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Foxit Software\
    Affected if Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF Editor is present on the system
  2. Identify the installed Foxit version
    In Foxit, go to Help > About Foxit PDF Reader (or About Foxit PDF Editor). Alternatively, right-click the application in Programs and Features and select Properties to view the version, or check the executable file properties of foxitreader.exe or foxitpdfeditor.exe
    Affected if A version number is displayed that can be compared to the affected ranges
  3. Compare the installed version against affected ranges
    Compare your installed version to these affected ranges: Foxit Pdf Editor <= 10.1.12.37872; >= 11.0.0 through <= 11.2.7.53812; >= 12.0.0 through <= 12.1.3.15356; = 13.0.0.21632; = 2023.1.0.15510; = 2023.2.0.21408. For Foxit Pdf Reader, any version <= 2023.2.0.21408 is affected
    Affected if The installed version matches or falls within any of the listed affected version ranges
  4. Confirm the vulnerability trigger condition
    The vulnerability exploits AcroForm Doc object handling in PDF files. Verify if the user frequently opens PDF files from untrusted sources, as exploitation requires a user to open a maliciously crafted PDF file
    Affected if Users open PDF files, particularly from untrusted or unknown sources, and the installed Foxit version is in the affected ranges

A user is affected if Foxit PDF Reader version <= 2023.2.0.21408 or Foxit PDF Editor version matching any of the specified vulnerable ranges is installed and users open PDF files.

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 a release after 2023.2.0.21408
Interim mitigation

Update Foxit PDF Reader to the latest patched version. Avoid opening untrusted PDF files and disable JavaScript execution in PDF readers as additional defense-in-depth measures.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest available Foxit PDF Reader/PDF Editor version (contact Foxit support or visit foxit.com for exact version numbers post-fix)

  1. 1. Open Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor application
  2. 2. Click on 'Help' in the menu bar
  3. 3. Select 'Check for Updates' or navigate to the official Foxit website at www.foxit.com to download the latest version
  4. 4. Download and install the latest version of Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor
  5. 5. Restart the application if prompted
  6. 6. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds the latest available release
Caveat Standard upgrade - no major breaking changes expected for typical users; review release notes for specific changes

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-2023-51556 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