Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-34950 is a high-severity Foxit PDF Reader flaw. A malicious PDF or web-delivered file could make the reader run attacker-controlled code as the current user. It requires user interaction, so the main business risk is phishing or document-based compromise of endpoints using the affected Foxit version.
Executive priority
Treat this as a near-term endpoint patching issue, especially for teams handling external documents. It is not marked as known exploited in the provided sources, but successful exploitation could compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability for the affected user context.
Technical view
The flaw is an out-of-bounds read in Foxit PDF Reader's handling of Annotation objects. Insufficient validation of user-supplied data can read beyond an allocated object and may enable code execution in the current process. The supplied affected version is Foxit PDF Reader 11.0.0.49893.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on desktops or virtual workstations where Foxit PDF Reader 11.0.0.49893 opens PDFs from email, browsers, downloads, or shared drives.
Exploitation context
The sources require user interaction: the target must open a malicious file or visit a malicious page. The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or other evidence of active exploitation.
Researcher notes
This is CWE-125 and was tracked as ZDI-CAN-14396. ZDI describes remote code execution through malformed Annotation object handling. The source bundle does not provide exploit maturity, public proof-of-concept status, or a specific fixed build, so remediation details should be verified with Foxit.
Mitigation direction
- Identify Foxit PDF Reader installations and prioritize version 11.0.0.49893.
- Check Foxit's security bulletins for the vendor-supported fixed version or mitigation.
- Update affected Foxit PDF Reader installations following vendor guidance.
- Reduce exposure to unsolicited PDFs through email filtering and user warning controls.
- Consider limiting Foxit use for untrusted documents until patched.
Validation and detection
- Inventory endpoint software versions for Foxit PDF Reader 11.0.0.49893.
- Confirm patched versions against Foxit's published security bulletin.
- Review email and web controls for suspicious PDF delivery attempts.
- Verify EDR coverage for document-reader child processes and abnormal behavior.
- Document any unpatched exceptions with owner, exposure, and remediation date.
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-2021-34950 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
- ZDI-21-1181CVE reference · x_research-advisory
- vendor-provided URLCVE reference · vendor-advisory
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.