Vulnerability DatabaseCVE-2021-34956

CVE-2021-34956:
Foxit PDF Reader vulnerability analysis and mitigation

Overview

Foxit PDF Editor Underline Annotation Use-After-Free Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2021-34956) was discovered in Foxit PDF Editor. The vulnerability was reported on August 11, 2021, and publicly disclosed on October 15, 2021. This vulnerability affects installations of Foxit PDF Editor and requires user interaction to be exploited (ZDI Advisory).

Technical details

The vulnerability exists within the handling of Annotation objects in Foxit PDF Editor. The specific flaw results from the lack of validating the existence of an object prior to performing operations on the object. The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS v3.0 base score of 7.8 (High) with the vector string: AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (ZDI Advisory).

Impact

If successfully exploited, this vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process on affected installations of Foxit PDF Editor. The attack requires user interaction, specifically the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file (ZDI Advisory).

Mitigation and workarounds

Foxit has issued an update to correct this vulnerability. Users should update their installations of Foxit PDF Editor to the latest version available through the vendor's website (Foxit Security Bulletins).