CVE-2023-51560
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 Type Confusion 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 proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a type confusion condition. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-22259.
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 confidenceA type confusion vulnerability exists in Foxit PDF Reader's Annotation object handling due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into opening malicious PDF files, allowing arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process.
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, <= 11.2.7.53812>= 12.0.0, <= 12.1.3.15356= 13.0.0.21632= 2023.1.0.15510= 2023.2.0.21408<= 2023.2.0.21408CVSS 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 installed Foxit productOpen Windows Settings > Apps & Features or use 'Get-ItemProperty' in PowerShell for 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' to find Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF EditorAffected if Neither Foxit PDF Reader nor Foxit PDF Editor is installed - the system is not affected
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Determine Foxit PDF Reader versionRight-click the Foxit PDF Reader icon, select 'About Foxit Reader' or use Help > About in the application menu to view the exact version numberAffected if Version is 2023.2.0.21408 or earlier
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Determine Foxit PDF Editor versionRight-click the Foxit PDF Editor icon, select 'About Foxit PDF Editor' or use Help > About in the application menu to view the exact version numberAffected if Version is 10.1.12.37872 or lower; OR between 11.0.0 and 11.2.7.53812 inclusive; OR between 12.0.0 and 12.1.3.15356 inclusive; OR equals 13.0.0.21632; OR equals 2023.1.0.15510; OR equals 2023.2.0.21408
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Check if user opens untrusted PDFsThis vulnerability is triggered when a user opens a maliciously crafted PDF file - review your workflow for handling PDF files from untrusted sourcesAffected if Users routinely open PDF files from untrusted or unknown sources without verification
You are affected if Foxit PDF Reader version 2023.2.0.21408 or earlier, or Foxit PDF Editor any of the specific vulnerable versions listed, is installed and users may open untrusted PDF files.
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 dataApply the vendor patch from Foxit when released. Until then, exercise caution with untrusted PDF files and consider disabling JavaScript execution in PDF Reader as a compensating control.
- Consultation2.0 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-2023-51560 — 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-2023-51560 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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