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Pdf EditorApplication · Foxit

CVE-2023-51557

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-22256.

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

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in Foxit PDF Reader's handling of Doc objects within AcroForms. The application fails to validate the existence of an object before performing operations on it, leading to a use-after-free condition. An attacker can exploit this by tricking users into opening a malicious PDF file, allowing arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process.

MitigationApply the vendor patch from Foxit. Users should avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PDF files until the update is applied.

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 is installed
    Open Windows Settings > Apps > Installed Apps and search for 'Foxit PDF Reader', or check the file system at common installation paths such as C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit PDF Reader\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Foxit Software\Foxit PDF Reader\
    Affected if Foxit PDF Reader is found on the system
  2. Determine installed Foxit PDF Reader version
    If installed, right-click the Foxit PDF Reader shortcut, select Properties, and check the 'Details' tab for the 'File version' or 'Product version' entry. Alternatively, right-click the executable in the installation folder, select Properties, and view the Version tab
    Affected if The version number is <= 2023.2.0.21408
  3. Check if Foxit PDF Editor is installed
    Search in Windows Settings > Apps > Installed Apps for 'Foxit PDF Editor' or check installation paths similar to the Reader: C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit PDF Editor\
    Affected if Foxit PDF Editor is found on the system
  4. Determine installed Foxit PDF Editor version
    Right-click the Foxit PDF Editor shortcut or executable, select Properties, and view the Details or Version tab to find the product version
    Affected if The version matches one of the affected ranges: <= 10.1.12.37872; >= 11.0.0 and <= 11.2.7.53812; >= 12.0.0 and <= 12.1.3.15356; = 13.0.0.21632; = 2023.1.0.15510; or = 2023.2.0.21408

The system 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.

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

Apply the vendor patch from Foxit. Users should avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PDF files until the update is applied.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest available Foxit PDF Reader/PDF Editor version (beyond 2023.2.0.21408 for Reader, beyond specified version bounds for Editor)

  1. 1. Navigate to the official Foxit software download page at www.foxit.com
  2. 2. Download the latest version of Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF Editor
  3. 3. Uninstall the current version of Foxit PDF Reader/PDF Editor
  4. 4. Install the latest downloaded version
  5. 5. Restart the application and verify it launches without errors
  6. 6. Ensure any PDF files opened are from trusted sources to mitigate remaining risks
Caveat Newer major versions (e.g., 13.x to 14.x) may have UI changes; review release notes for feature changes

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

Fix this in Pdf Editor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2023-51557 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