Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a low-severity information disclosure issue in Foxit Reader 10.1.3.37598. A user would need to open a malicious PDF or visit a malicious page. By itself, the reported impact is limited confidentiality loss, but the source says it could support code execution when combined with other vulnerabilities.
Executive priority
Treat this as a routine but necessary endpoint hygiene item. It is not currently evidenced as actively exploited in the provided sources, but outdated PDF readers remain useful attack-chain components. Remediate during normal patch cycles, faster for high-exposure teams.
Technical view
CVE-2021-31467 is a CWE-125 out-of-bounds read in Foxit Reader U3D handling for embedded PDF content. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied data, allowing a read past an allocated object. CVSS 3.0 is 3.3: AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to environments running Foxit Reader 10.1.3.37598, especially where users receive untrusted PDFs or browse content that may launch PDF handling. No other affected Foxit products or versions are identified in the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The sources require user interaction: the target must open a malicious file or visit a malicious page. CISA KEV status is false in the bundle, and no cited source here confirms active exploitation. The ZDI description notes chaining potential with other vulnerabilities.
Researcher notes
The evidence supports one affected version, one product, and an information disclosure primitive. The main uncertainty is remediation specificity: the provided bundle links Foxit's bulletin but does not name a fixed version. Avoid expanding scope beyond Foxit Reader 10.1.3.37598 without vendor confirmation.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Foxit Reader installations and identify version 10.1.3.37598.
- Review Foxit's security bulletin for vendor-approved fixed versions or mitigation guidance.
- Update affected Foxit Reader installations according to vendor guidance.
- Reduce exposure to untrusted PDFs while remediation is pending.
- Prioritize users who routinely handle external PDF attachments or downloads.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Foxit Reader 10.1.3.37598 exists on managed endpoints.
- Verify update status against Foxit's official security bulletin.
- Check vulnerability management tooling for CVE-2021-31467 detection coverage.
- Document systems where PDF handling of external files is business-critical.
- Monitor vendor, CVE, and ZDI references for revised impact or remediation details.
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-2021-31467 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-21-556/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.