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Improper Access ControlWeakness · CWE-284

CVE-2024-41605

HIGH · 8.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-09-26
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
89/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges Zero-click

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
In Foxit PDF Reader before 2024.3, and PDF Editor before 2024.3 and 13.x before 13.1.4, an attacker can replace an update file with a Trojan horse via side loading, because the update service lacks integrity validation for the updater. Attacker-controlled code may thus be executed.

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 and PDF Editor versions prior to 2024.3 (and Editor 13.x prior to 13.1.4) contain a vulnerability in the update service mechanism that lacks integrity validation. An attacker with file system access can perform side-loading by replacing legitimate update files with malicious Trojan horse files, which the updater will execute without verification, leading to arbitrary code execution.

MitigationDeploy Foxit PDF Reader/PDF Editor version 2024.3 or later (or 13.1.4 for 13.x branches) which implements integrity validation for update files. Until patched, restrict filesystem access to update directories and monitor for unauthorized file modifications.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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. Locate Foxit PDF installation directory
    Search common installation paths: C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit Reader\ and C:\Program Files\Foxit Software\Foxit PDF Editor\, or check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for Foxit entries
    Affected if Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor is installed on the system
  2. Determine installed Foxit version
    Open the Foxit application, go to Help > About, or right-click the main executable (FoxitReader.exe or FoxitPDFEditor.exe) and select Properties > Details to view the File Version
    Affected if Version is displayed as lower than 2024.3 (for standard releases) or lower than 13.1.4 (for 13.x branch releases)
  3. Verify update service component exists
    Check for the presence of update-related files in the Foxit installation folder, such as FoxitUpdater.exe, or check for scheduled tasks related to Foxit updates (taskschd.msc for tasks named Foxit Update or similar)
    Affected if The update service mechanism is present and could be invoked
  4. Confirm filesystem exposure to update directories
    Inspect folder permissions on the Foxit installation directory (right-click > Properties > Security) to determine if standard users or unprivileged accounts can write to subfolders, or check for weak ACLs on the update folder
    Affected if Non-admin users or processes have write access to directories where update files are stored or staged

A system is affected if Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor version is below 2024.3 (or below 13.1.4 for 13.x branches) AND the update service mechanism exists on the system AND an attacker could potentially place files in update directories due to permissive filesystem permissions.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Deploy Foxit PDF Reader/PDF Editor version 2024.3 or later (or 13.1.4 for 13.x branches) which implements integrity validation for update files. Until patched, restrict filesystem access to update directories and monitor for unauthorized file modifications.

Recommended fix High confidence

Foxit PDF Reader 2024.3+ / Foxit PDF Editor 2024.3+ / Foxit PDF Editor 13.1.4+

  1. 1. Identify the installed Foxit PDF product (Reader or Editor) and its current version by opening the application and checking Help > About.
  2. 2. For Foxit PDF Reader users: Upgrade to version 2024.3 or later by downloading from the official Foxit website.
  3. 3. For Foxit PDF Editor users running version 2024.x: Upgrade to version 2024.3 or later.
  4. 4. For Foxit PDF Editor users running version 13.x: Upgrade to version 13.1.4 or later.
  5. 5. After upgrading, verify the new version by checking Help > About to confirm the fix is applied.
Caveat Review release notes for any changes to features or functionality in the new version

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $3,000
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2024-41605 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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