Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A malicious PDF or web content could make Foxit PDF Editor run attacker-controlled code after a user opens it. The issue affects Foxit PDF Editor 11.0.0.49893. Business risk is highest on employee endpoints that use Foxit to handle external PDFs.
Executive priority
Treat as a high-priority workstation remediation issue, not an internet-facing emergency. Focus on users who receive or review external PDFs, because compromise depends on user interaction with malicious content.
Technical view
CVE-2021-34967 is a CWE-416 use-after-free in Foxit PDF Editor annotation object handling, specifically Line Annotation behavior. The flaw stems from operating on an object without validating it still exists, enabling code execution in the current process after user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to systems running Foxit PDF Editor 11.0.0.49893, particularly desktops handling PDFs from email, web downloads, portals, or external partners.
Exploitation context
User interaction is required: the target must open a malicious file or visit a malicious page. The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence.
Researcher notes
The source bundle identifies ZDI-CAN-14368 and CVSS 3.0 score 7.8. It names Foxit PDF Editor 11.0.0.49893 but does not provide a fixed version, exploit maturity, or detailed patch instructions.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Foxit PDF Editor installations and identify version 11.0.0.49893.
- Follow Foxit security bulletin guidance for the applicable fixed or supported version.
- Prioritize remediation on endpoints that process external PDFs.
- Limit opening untrusted PDFs in affected Foxit versions until remediation is complete.
- Use endpoint controls to monitor suspicious Foxit child processes or crashes.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Foxit PDF Editor 11.0.0.49893 exists in endpoint inventory.
- Verify remediated endpoints no longer report the affected version.
- Review software deployment records against Foxit security bulletin guidance.
- Check recent endpoint telemetry for unusual Foxit process behavior.
- Confirm PDF handling defaults on high-risk user groups.
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-2021-34967 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-21-1198CVE 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.
Use After Free
Use After Free represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.