Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2018-9952 is a remote code execution flaw in Foxit Reader 9.0.1.1049. A user must open a malicious file or visit a malicious page, so the main business risk is phishing-led compromise of endpoints using this old reader version.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority legacy software cleanup issue where Foxit Reader 9.0.1.1049 is present. The risk is not proven active exploitation in these sources, but document-reader RCE is a credible phishing impact path.
Technical view
The flaw is in Foxit Reader handling of XFA Button elements. When processing the formattedValue attribute, the process fails to validate that an object exists before operating on it. ZDI describes this as arbitrary code execution in the current process context and the CVE maps it to CWE-416.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited by the provided sources to installations of Foxit Reader 9.0.1.1049. Organizations with legacy desktop PDF readers, unmanaged endpoints, or users receiving external PDFs are the most plausible exposure group.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. Exploitation requires user interaction: opening a malicious file or visiting a malicious page. Successful exploitation could execute code with the user's process privileges.
Researcher notes
Affected-version evidence in the provided bundle names Foxit Reader 9.0.1.1049 only. Do not assume other Foxit products or versions are affected without vendor confirmation. The key technical condition is unsafe XFA Button formattedValue object handling.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory endpoints for Foxit Reader 9.0.1.1049.
- Check Foxit security bulletins for vendor-confirmed fixed versions or guidance.
- Upgrade or remove affected Foxit Reader installations per vendor guidance.
- Reduce exposure to untrusted PDFs and browser-opened PDF content.
- Use endpoint detection and least privilege to limit post-exploitation impact.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed Foxit Reader versions on managed endpoints.
- Verify whether Foxit Reader 9.0.1.1049 remains in software inventory.
- Review email and web controls for suspicious PDF delivery paths.
- Confirm vendor advisory status before claiming a specific fixed version.
- Check vulnerability scanner results against the exact affected version evidence.
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-416: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
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-2018-9952 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
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://zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-18-336CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.foxitsoftware.com/support/security-bulletins.phpCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
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.
Use After Free
Use After Free represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.