CVE-2024-9245
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 Update Service Incorrect Permission Assignment Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of Foxit PDF Reader. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the handling of the configuration files used by the Foxit Reader Update Service. The issue results from incorrect permissions set on a resource used by the service. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute code in the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-23966.
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 confidenceThe vulnerability exists in Foxit PDF Reader's Update Service where configuration files are configured with overly permissive access controls. A local attacker with the ability to execute low-privileged code can modify these improperly protected configuration files to escalate privileges to the SYSTEM context.
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<= 11.2.10.53951>= 12.0, <= 12.1.7.15526>= 13.0, <= 13.1.3.22478>= 2023.0, <= 2023.3.0.23028>= 2024.0, <= 2024.2.3.25184<= 2024.2.3.25184CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Foxit PDF Reader or Editor versionOpen Foxit, go to Help > About, or right-click the application in Windows Programs and Features to view the version numberAffected if The installed version falls within any of the vulnerable ranges: <= 11.2.10.53951, >= 12.0 and <= 12.1.7.15526, >= 13.0 and <= 13.1.3.22478, >= 2023.0 and <= 2023.3.0.23028, >= 2024.0 and <= 2024.2.3.25184
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Locate the Foxit Update Service configuration filesBrowse to the Foxit installation directory (typically in Program Files) and locate configuration files related to the Update Service or Updater componentAffected if Configuration files for the Update Service exist in the Foxit installation folder
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Verify the Update Service is enabledCheck if the Foxit Update Service is installed and running on the system via Windows Services (services.msc) or by examining the application's update settingsAffected if The Foxit Update Service is present and enabled on the system
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Inspect NTFS permissions on Update Service config filesRight-click the Update Service configuration files in the Foxit directory, go to Properties > Security, and examine which users or groups have Write or Modify permissionsAffected if Users other than Administrators or SYSTEM have Write, Modify, or Full Control permissions on these configuration files
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Check if low-privileged users can modify config filesUsing icacls or File Explorer, verify whether standard users or the Users group have access to modify the Update Service configuration filesAffected if Standard user accounts or low-privileged groups have write access to the Update Service configuration files
You are affected if your Foxit version is within the vulnerable ranges AND the Update Service is enabled AND non-admin users have write/modify permissions on the Update Service configuration 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.
dbcve · scopedApply correct, restrictive NTFS permissions to the Foxit Reader Update Service configuration files to prevent unauthorized modification by non-privileged users.
Latest version of Foxit Pdf Editor (13.2.x or later) or Pdf Reader (2024.2.4 or later)
- 1. Identify the installed Foxit product (Pdf Editor or Pdf Reader) and its exact version from Help > About Foxit Reader/Editor
- 2. For Pdf Editor users: Upgrade to version 11.2.10.53952 or later if on 11.x; upgrade to 12.1.7.15527 or later if on 12.x; upgrade to 13.1.3.22479 or later if on 13.x; upgrade to 2023.3.0.23029 or later if on 2023.x
- 3. For Pdf Reader users: Upgrade to version 2024.2.3.25185 or later
- 4. Download the latest version from the official Foxit website at www.foxit.com
- 5. Install the updated version with administrator privileges
- 6. Restart the Foxit application and verify the Update Service configuration has correct permissions
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-9245 — 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-2024-9245 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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