Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2018-9979 is a Foxit Reader flaw where a crafted document or web content can make the application read memory it should not. The source names Foxit Reader 9.0.0.29935. Exploitation requires a user to open a malicious file or visit a malicious page.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted endpoint risk, not an internet-wide emergency. Prioritize remediation for users who routinely receive external documents, legal files, resumes, invoices, or customer-supplied PDFs.
Technical view
The flaw is an out-of-bounds read in parsing Texture Continuation objects in U3D files. It is classified as CWE-125 and can disclose sensitive information. ZDI notes it could be chained with other vulnerabilities to execute code in the current process.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on endpoints running Foxit Reader 9.0.0.29935, especially users who handle externally supplied PDFs or embedded 3D/U3D content.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Attack requires user interaction. The main documented impact is information disclosure, with possible chaining for code execution alongside other vulnerabilities.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE description, ZDI advisory reference, and Foxit bulletin reference. No CVSS score, fixed version, or exploitation-in-the-wild claim is provided in the bundle. Do not assume broader Foxit versions are affected without vendor confirmation.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Foxit Reader installations and identify version 9.0.0.29935.
- Check Foxit’s security bulletin for vendor-approved updates or mitigation guidance.
- Update or remove vulnerable Foxit Reader installations according to vendor guidance.
- Reduce handling of untrusted PDFs from email, web downloads, and external sources.
- Keep endpoint detection and document sandboxing controls enabled where available.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Foxit Reader 9.0.0.29935 exists in software inventory.
- Review endpoint telemetry for users opening externally supplied PDFs.
- Verify remediated hosts no longer report the affected version.
- Check Foxit bulletin mapping before closing remediation tickets.
- Confirm document-handling controls cover untrusted PDF and U3D content.
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-125: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2018-9979 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-18-377CVE 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.
Out-of-bounds Read
Out-of-bounds Read represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.