CVE-2018-10486 in Foxit
Summary
by MITRE
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to disclose sensitive information on vulnerable installations of Foxit Reader 9.0.0.29935. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the parsing of the U3D Image Index. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a read past the end of an allocated object. An attacker can leverage this in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-5418.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/06/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-10486 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within Foxit Reader version 9.0.0.29935 that enables remote attackers to extract sensitive data from affected systems. This vulnerability operates through the manipulation of U3D Image Index parsing functionality, which is a component designed to handle three-dimensional graphics within PDF documents. The flaw specifically manifests when the application processes user-supplied data without adequate validation mechanisms, creating a condition where memory access violations can occur. The vulnerability falls under the category of buffer over-read conditions, where the application attempts to read memory locations beyond the bounds of allocated data structures, potentially exposing confidential information stored in adjacent memory regions.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires user interaction, meaning that attackers must entice victims to visit malicious web pages or open compromised files containing specially crafted U3D content. This social engineering component makes the attack vector more complex but also more realistic in real-world scenarios where users might encounter malicious content through phishing campaigns, compromised websites, or malicious email attachments. The technical implementation of the flaw demonstrates poor input validation practices where the application fails to properly verify the size and structure of incoming U3D data before attempting to parse it, creating opportunities for attackers to craft malicious payloads that trigger the buffer over-read condition.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security risks for organizations relying on Foxit Reader for document processing. The potential for information disclosure means that attackers could access sensitive data such as memory contents, application state information, or even partial contents of other files currently in memory. When combined with other vulnerabilities present in the same application or system, this flaw could provide attackers with the foundation for more sophisticated attacks including privilege escalation or code execution within the application's security context. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and represents a common pattern in document processing applications where insufficient input validation leads to memory safety issues.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of broader attack frameworks such as those defined in the MITRE ATT&CK methodology, where information gathering and reconnaissance activities precede more direct exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's characteristics make it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Foxit Reader is widely deployed for document management and review processes. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems and implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability. The remediation approach should focus on updating to patched versions of Foxit Reader while also considering broader security measures such as application whitelisting, sandboxing techniques, and user education programs to reduce the likelihood of successful exploitation through social engineering means.