Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Foxit PDF Reader 11.0.0.49893 can be crashed into running attacker-controlled code when a user opens a malicious PDF or visits a malicious page. The business risk is endpoint compromise through normal document-handling activity, but exploitation requires user interaction.
Executive priority
Treat as a high-priority workstation exposure if Foxit PDF Reader is deployed. The main urgency is reducing document-driven compromise risk, not responding to confirmed mass exploitation based on the provided evidence.
Technical view
CVE-2021-34846 is a high-severity Foxit PDF Reader vulnerability in Annotation object handling. The flaw is described as missing validation that an object exists before operations are performed, mapped to CWE-416. Successful exploitation can execute code in the current process context.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to systems running Foxit PDF Reader 11.0.0.49893, especially where users handle external PDFs or browse untrusted content. The bundle does not identify other affected versions or products.
Exploitation context
The source bundle states remote attackers can exploit this only with user interaction: opening a malicious file or visiting a malicious page. KEV is false, and the provided sources do not state active exploitation.
Researcher notes
Track ZDI-CAN-14120 and Foxit's bulletin for precise fix details. Validate scope narrowly against Foxit PDF Reader 11.0.0.49893 because the provided bundle does not substantiate broader affected versions.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory endpoints for Foxit PDF Reader 11.0.0.49893.
- Review Foxit security bulletins for the vendor-approved update or mitigation.
- Prioritize patching users who process external PDFs.
- Limit opening untrusted PDFs until vendor guidance is applied.
- Use email and web filtering to reduce malicious file delivery.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed Foxit PDF Reader versions from asset inventory.
- Flag any endpoint running version 11.0.0.49893.
- Verify remediation against Foxit's security bulletin guidance.
- Check controls covering external PDF delivery and browsing exposure.
- Review endpoint telemetry for suspicious PDF Reader process activity.
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-2021-34846 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.foxit.com/support/security-bulletins.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-928/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.