CVE-2025-9330
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 Uncontrolled Search Path Element 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 Foxit Reader Update Service. The product loads a library from an unsecured location. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute code in the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-25709.
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 Foxit PDF Reader Update Service loads DLLs from an unsecured search path, allowing a local attacker with prior low-privileged code execution to plant a malicious DLL in a directory included in the service's DLL search order. When the update service loads the trojaned library, it executes with SYSTEM-level privileges, achieving local privilege escalation.
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<= 13.1.7.23637>= 2023.1.0.15510, <= 2023.3.0.23028>= 2024.1.0.23997, <= 2024.4.1.27687= 2025.1.0.27937<= 2025.1.0.27937CVSS 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:3.0/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.
-
Verify Foxit PDF software is installedCheck for Foxit PDF Reader or Foxit PDF Editor in the system via Programs and Features, or search for Foxit-related executables in Program Files directoriesAffected if Foxit PDF Reader <= 2025.1.0.27937 or Foxit PDF Editor versions matching the affected ranges (<=13.1.7.23637, 2023.1.0.15510-2023.3.0.23028, 2024.1.0.23997-2024.4.1.27687, or 2025.1.0.27937) are installed
-
Identify the Foxit Update ServiceOpen Services (services.msc) and look for a service named 'Foxit Update Service', 'FoxitReaderUpdateService', or similar Foxit-related update service; alternatively, check Task Manager for FoxitUpdate.exe or FoxitUpdateService.exe processes runningAffected if The Foxit Update Service process is currently running on the system
-
Check the Update Service executable pathRight-click the Foxit Update Service in Services, select Properties, and note the path to the executable (e.g., Program Files/Foxit...); verify file permissions using icacls on that directoryAffected if Non-privileged users have Write or Modify permissions to the directory containing the Update Service executable, allowing DLL planting
-
Audit DLL search path directories for write accessReview directories in the system PATH and the Update Service working directory for weak permissions; use icacls or AccessChk to enumerate which users can write to these locationsAffected if Any directory in the service's DLL search order is writable by low-privileged users, enabling DLL preloading attacks
-
Confirm service runs with elevated privilegesIn Services, check the Log On As setting for the Foxit Update Service; if set to Local System or a built-in administrator account, the service executes with SYSTEM-level privilegesAffected if The Update Service runs under Local System account or another high-privilege context
A system is affected if Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor with a vulnerable version is installed, the Update Service is running, and directories in the service's DLL search path are writable by unprivileged users, allowing privilege escalation to SYSTEM.
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 · scopedUpdate Foxit PDF Reader to the latest patched version once available. Additionally, restrict write permissions on directories in the service's DLL search path to prevent unprivileged users from planting malicious DLLs.
Latest version available on www.foxit.com (version higher than 2025.1.0.27937)
- 1. Check the current installed version of Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor by opening the application and navigating to Help > About Foxit PDF Reader/Editor
- 2. Download the latest version of Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor from the official Foxit website (www.foxit.com)
- 3. Uninstall the current version of Foxit PDF Reader or PDF Editor from the system
- 4. Install the latest downloaded version which should contain the fix for the uncontrolled search path vulnerability in the Update Service
- 5. Verify the installation was successful and the version has been updated
- 6. Ensure the Foxit Update Service is running with proper, secured library paths after the upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 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 $2,880.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-9330 — 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-2025-9330 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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