Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2018-10477 is a remote code execution flaw in Foxit Reader 9.0.0.29935. A victim must open a malicious file or visit a malicious page. If exploited, attacker code can run with the user's Foxit Reader process privileges.
Executive priority
Prioritize as high where legacy Foxit Reader exists. The business risk is document-triggered code execution after user interaction, which can affect phishing-exposed users and external document workflows.
Technical view
The flaw is in Foxit Reader parsing of U3D Chain Index objects. Improper validation of user-supplied data can cause a write past the end of an allocated object, enabling arbitrary code execution in the current process context. The issue was tracked as ZDI-CAN-5396.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on endpoints still running Foxit Reader 9.0.0.29935, especially where users open PDFs or 3D PDF content from email, web downloads, or external partners.
Exploitation context
The source bundle states user interaction is required. It does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. Treat this as a credible document-handling RCE risk, not confirmed in-the-wild exploitation.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE description and referenced vendor/ZDI pages in the bundle. No CVSS vector, fixed version, or exploitation telemetry is provided here, so confirm patch details directly with Foxit before closing exposure.
Mitigation direction
- Check Foxit security bulletins for the vendor-fixed version and upgrade guidance.
- Inventory and remove Foxit Reader 9.0.0.29935 where still present.
- Restrict opening untrusted PDFs or 3D PDF content until affected systems are remediated.
- Use endpoint controls to limit Foxit Reader execution from risky locations.
- Prioritize remediation on systems handling external documents.
Validation and detection
- Search endpoint inventory for Foxit Reader version 9.0.0.29935.
- Confirm remediated systems no longer report the affected version.
- Review email and web controls for untrusted PDF handling.
- Check EDR telemetry for suspicious Foxit Reader child processes or crashes.
- Document whether any business workflow still requires legacy Foxit Reader.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-787: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2018-10477 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.foxitsoftware.com/support/security-bulletins.phpCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-18-387CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Out-of-bounds Write
Out-of-bounds Write represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.