CVE-2024-9256
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 AcroForm Out-Of-Bounds Read Information Disclosure Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to disclose sensitive information 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 AcroForms. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a read past the end of an allocated buffer. An attacker can leverage this in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-25267.
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 confidenceFoxit PDF Reader contains an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in AcroForm handling due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data. The flaw allows reading past the end of an allocated buffer, exposing sensitive memory contents. While this is primarily an information disclosure issue, it can be chained with other vulnerabilities to achieve arbitrary code execution.
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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 Foxit PDF Reader installationOpen Foxit PDF Reader, then go to Help > About Foxit Reader to view the exact version number. Alternatively, locate the executable (FoxitReader.exe) in the installation directory, right-click it, select Properties, and check the Details tab for the Product Version.Affected if The displayed version falls within any of these ranges: <= 2024.2.3.25184 (all earlier versions), 11.2.10.53951 or lower, 12.0 to 12.1.7.15526, 13.0 to 13.1.3.22478, 2023.0 to 2023.3.0.23028, or 2024.0 to 2024.2.3.25184.
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Confirm AcroForm feature is in useOpen any PDF file that contains fillable form fields (AcroForms). In Foxit Reader, look for the Forms toolbar or check if form fields are interactive and fillable. You can also inspect the PDF structure using a tool to confirm /AcroForm dictionary presence.Affected if The application processes PDFs with AcroForm dictionaries or interactive form fields, which is the vulnerable component.
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Verify file handling contextCheck whether the system routinely opens PDF files from external or untrusted sources. Review recent PDF files accessed by the user, particularly those downloaded from the internet or received via email.Affected if Users open PDFs from untrusted sources, increasing the likelihood of encountering a maliciously crafted AcroForm payload.
You are affected if Foxit PDF Reader version is 2024.2.3.25184 or any earlier version AND the application is used to open or process PDF files containing AcroForms.
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 dataUpdate Foxit PDF Reader to the latest version; implement application whitelisting and train users to avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-9256 — 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-2024-9256 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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