Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2018-9967 is a remote code execution vulnerability in Foxit Reader 9.0.1.1049. An attacker would need a user to visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. Successful exploitation could run code as the current user, making affected workstations a priority to find and update.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority for endpoint hygiene where Foxit Reader is deployed. The issue needs user interaction, but successful exploitation can execute attacker-controlled code under the user's process, which can support workstation compromise.
Technical view
The flaw is in Foxit Reader handling of Format actions for TextBox objects. The sources describe missing validation of an object's existence before operations, mapped to CWE-416. ZDI tracked it as ZDI-CAN-5571 / ZDI-18-351. No CVSS score is provided in the source bundle.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to installations of Foxit Reader 9.0.1.1049. Risk is higher on endpoints where users open untrusted files or browse to untrusted pages with Foxit Reader available.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Exploitation requires user interaction through a malicious page or file, but the reported impact is arbitrary code execution in the current process context.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sufficient for affected product, vulnerable version, vulnerability class, interaction requirement, and impact. Evidence is incomplete for CVSS, fixed version details, and observed exploitation. Avoid claiming exploitation in the wild without an additional cited source.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory endpoints for Foxit Reader 9.0.1.1049.
- Review Foxit security bulletins for the vendor-designated fixed version.
- Upgrade or remove affected Foxit Reader installations per vendor guidance.
- Limit opening untrusted files until affected systems are remediated.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed Foxit Reader versions through endpoint inventory.
- Check whether any systems still report version 9.0.1.1049.
- Verify remediation against Foxit's security bulletin, not assumptions.
- Review user-facing file handling controls for high-risk groups.
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-2018-9967 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://www.foxitsoftware.com/support/security-bulletins.phpCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-18-351CVE 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.
Use After Free
Use After Free represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.