Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-31460 lets an attacker run code through Foxit Reader if a user opens a malicious file or visits a malicious page. The known affected version is Foxit Reader 10.1.1.37576. This is high risk for organizations where PDFs arrive through email, web downloads, or customer workflows.
Executive priority
Treat as a high-priority endpoint remediation item where Foxit Reader is deployed. The business risk is user-driven compromise from malicious documents, not unauthenticated server exposure. Prioritize inventory, vendor-guided update decisions, and controls around untrusted PDFs.
Technical view
The flaw is in Foxit Reader XFA template processing. Sources describe missing validation before object operations, mapped to CWE-416, allowing code execution in the current process. CVSS is 7.8 high with user interaction required and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited by the supplied evidence to Foxit Reader 10.1.1.37576. Risk is highest on user endpoints that process untrusted PDFs or web-delivered documents. The bundle does 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 source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or other evidence of active exploitation, so active exploitation should not be asserted.
Researcher notes
Evidence comes from the CVE record and ZDI advisory reference. The flaw is XFA-template related and tied to object lifetime validation. The bundle does not provide exploit proof, fixed version details, or broader product scope, so those points require vendor confirmation.
Mitigation direction
- Identify endpoints running Foxit Reader 10.1.1.37576.
- Review Foxit security bulletin for fixed versions or vendor mitigation.
- Update or replace affected Reader installations according to Foxit guidance.
- Reduce delivery of untrusted PDFs and links through mail and web controls.
- Limit PDF handling to trusted sources until remediation is complete.
Validation and detection
- Inventory installed Foxit Reader versions and compare against 10.1.1.37576.
- Confirm remediated hosts no longer report the affected version.
- Check vulnerability scanner findings for CVE-2021-31460 on desktop endpoints.
- Review endpoint telemetry for Foxit Reader crashes or suspicious child processes.
- Verify PDF-handling policies reduce exposure to untrusted documents.
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-2021-31460 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
- High
- CVSS
- 7.8 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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-21-549/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.
Use After Free
Use After Free represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.