CVE-2019-13124 in Foxit
Summary
by MITRE
Foxit Reader 9.6.0.25114 and earlier has two unique RecursiveCall bugs involving 3 functions exhausting available stack memory because of Uncontrolled Recursion in the V8 JavaScript engine (issue 2 of 2).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/17/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-13124 represents a critical stack exhaustion issue affecting Foxit Reader versions 9.6.0.25114 and earlier. This flaw resides within the V8 JavaScript engine implementation used by the PDF reader application, specifically manifesting through recursive call patterns that lead to uncontrolled recursion. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and proper recursion depth management within three distinct functions, creating a scenario where maliciously crafted PDF documents can trigger infinite recursive calls that consume available stack memory resources.
The technical execution of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of JavaScript code embedded within PDF files, leveraging the V8 engine's JavaScript interpretation capabilities. When a user opens a specially crafted PDF document, the malicious JavaScript code triggers recursive function calls that do not properly terminate or maintain recursion depth limits. This uncontrolled recursion causes the application's stack memory to rapidly deplete until the system crashes or becomes unresponsive. The vulnerability is classified as a stack overflow condition that can be exploited to cause denial of service or potentially enable arbitrary code execution depending on the system configuration and memory management policies.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant security risks to organizations relying on Foxit Reader for document processing and viewing. The uncontrolled recursion can lead to complete application crashes, requiring manual intervention to restore normal operations, and may provide attackers with opportunities to disrupt business processes or potentially escalate privileges if the system allows for code execution. The vulnerability affects a substantial user base given the widespread adoption of Foxit Reader in enterprise environments and can be exploited through social engineering tactics where users inadvertently open malicious PDF attachments. The recursive nature of the flaw means that even a single malicious document can cause cascading failures within the application's memory management system.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-674 (Uncontrolled Recursion) and CWE-121 (Stack-based Buffer Overflow) classifications, representing a classic example of improper resource management within interpreted environments. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) as it leverages JavaScript execution capabilities to manipulate system resources. The remediation strategy should focus on implementing proper recursion depth monitoring and limiting within the V8 engine integration, applying immediate patches from Foxit to address the specific function implementations, and implementing application sandboxing or privilege separation mechanisms. Organizations should also consider deploying network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for PDF file access patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, while maintaining regular updates to ensure protection against similar vulnerabilities in the V8 JavaScript engine.