Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Foxit Reader 10.1.1.37576 can expose sensitive information when a user opens a crafted PDF or visits a malicious page. The issue is low severity on its own, but the source notes it could help an attacker when combined with other vulnerabilities.
Executive priority
Treat this as routine patch management unless vulnerable Foxit Reader installations are common or users process untrusted PDFs at scale. There is no source-backed active exploitation signal, but chained exploitation risk supports timely remediation.
Technical view
CVE-2021-31444 is a CWE-125 out-of-bounds read in Foxit Reader’s handling of U3D objects embedded in PDFs. It stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied data and may read past an allocated object. The advisory says it can support arbitrary code execution only when chained with other vulnerabilities.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to environments running Foxit Reader 10.1.1.37576 where users open untrusted PDFs or browse to attacker-controlled content. The provided sources do not identify other affected Foxit products or versions.
Exploitation context
User interaction is required. The target must open a malicious file or visit a malicious page. The CVE is not listed as KEV in the supplied bundle, and no cited source here confirms active exploitation.
Researcher notes
The source bundle names Foxit Reader 10.1.1.37576 only. Patch details are not stated in the bundle, so remediation should be tied to Foxit guidance. The bundle describes remote attacker delivery with user interaction while CVSS lists AV:L/UI:R.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory endpoints for Foxit Reader 10.1.1.37576.
- Check Foxit’s security bulletin for vendor-approved updates or mitigations.
- Prioritize replacement or update of vulnerable installations handling external PDFs.
- Limit opening untrusted PDFs from email, web downloads, and shared drives.
- Use endpoint controls to monitor suspicious PDF reader crashes or child processes.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed Foxit Reader versions through asset or software inventory.
- Verify whether Foxit Reader is the default PDF handler on user endpoints.
- Check whether affected users routinely receive external PDF attachments.
- Review Foxit and ZDI advisories for any updated remediation details.
- Monitor security telemetry for suspicious Foxit Reader behavior.
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
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-2021-31444 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
- Low
- CVSS
- 3.3 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
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 vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N1.81.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
3.3LowVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.foxitsoftware.com/support/security-bulletins.phpCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-533/CVE 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 Read
Out-of-bounds Read represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.