CVE-2024-30345 in Foxit
Summary
by MITRE • 04/03/2024
Foxit PDF Reader AcroForm Use-After-Free Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Foxit PDF Reader. 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 handling of Doc objects in AcroForms. The issue results from the lack of validating the existence of an object prior to performing operations on the object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-22742.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/08/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Foxit PDF Reader's handling of AcroForm objects within PDF documents. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation during the processing of Document objects in the AcroForm component, where the software fails to properly verify object existence before executing operations on them. This fundamental flaw creates a condition where freed memory objects can be accessed and manipulated by malicious actors, leading to potential remote code execution. The vulnerability specifically affects the PDF reader's ability to manage dynamic memory allocation and deallocation within the AcroForm processing pipeline, where objects are prematurely freed while references to them still exist in the system's memory space. According to the ZDI-CAN-22742 tracking reference, this issue demonstrates the classic patterns of memory safety vulnerabilities that have plagued document processing software for years, with the attack vector requiring user interaction through visiting malicious web pages or opening compromised PDF files.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a well-established remote code execution attack pattern that aligns with CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software systems. Attackers can craft malicious PDF documents that manipulate the AcroForm object lifecycle to trigger the use-after-free scenario, subsequently allowing them to overwrite memory contents with malicious code. The operational impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation as the vulnerability operates within the context of the currently running PDF reader process, meaning that successful exploitation could result in full system compromise depending on the user's privileges and the operating system configuration. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers can deploy malicious payloads through web-based delivery mechanisms, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users frequently access untrusted web content or receive PDF attachments from unknown sources. The attack surface is further expanded by the widespread adoption of Foxit PDF Reader across enterprise and individual computing environments, amplifying the potential impact of any successful exploitation.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate defensive measures and long-term architectural improvements. Organizations should implement immediate patch management procedures to deploy the vendor-provided security updates as soon as they become available, while also considering network-based defenses such as web application firewalls and PDF content filtering systems to prevent access to known malicious documents. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK framework's T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution demonstrates the need for comprehensive endpoint protection strategies that include behavioral monitoring and application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized code execution. System administrators should also consider implementing sandboxing mechanisms for PDF processing and restricting user privileges when opening PDF documents, particularly in high-risk environments. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar memory safety vulnerabilities within the organization's software ecosystem, as use-after-free conditions often appear in complex software systems involving dynamic memory management and object-oriented programming patterns. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of memory safety practices in document processing software and the necessity of rigorous code review processes that specifically target memory management operations.