CVE-2024-7722 in Foxit
Summary
by MITRE • 08/21/2024
Foxit PDF Reader Doc Object Use-After-Free Information Disclosure Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to disclose sensitive information 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. 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 in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-23702.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/14/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-7722 represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Foxit PDF Reader's document object handling mechanism. This security weakness resides within the software's processing of Doc objects and demonstrates a fundamental failure in memory management practices that can lead to information disclosure and potentially arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability specifically affects versions of Foxit PDF Reader where the application fails to properly validate object existence before performing operations on document objects, creating a window of opportunity for malicious actors to exploit the flaw.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper object lifecycle management within the PDF reader's internal processing engine. When the application encounters a Doc object, it does not adequately verify whether the object remains valid and accessible before attempting to access or manipulate its properties. This validation gap allows attackers to craft malicious PDF files or web content that, when processed by the vulnerable software, triggers the use-after-free condition. The flaw operates at the intersection of memory corruption and information disclosure, where the improper handling of freed memory objects can expose sensitive data from the application's memory space.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to organizations that rely on Foxit PDF Reader for document processing and viewing. The requirement for user interaction through visiting malicious web pages or opening compromised files creates a realistic attack vector that can be exploited through social engineering campaigns or compromised websites. Security professionals must recognize that this vulnerability can be leveraged as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks, as the information disclosure aspect can provide attackers with insights into the application's memory structure and potentially enable further exploitation techniques. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software applications.
The impact of CVE-2024-7722 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it creates potential pathways for privilege escalation and code execution within the context of the running process. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can potentially execute malicious code with the same privileges as the PDF reader application, which could lead to complete system compromise. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal user interaction, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where employees frequently access web content and open PDF documents. This characteristic places the vulnerability within the ATT&CK framework's initial access and execution phases, where adversaries establish footholds and execute malicious payloads.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation of this vulnerability through official patches provided by Foxit Corporation. The mitigation strategy should include comprehensive network monitoring for suspicious PDF-related activities and user behavior analysis to detect potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should also implement application whitelisting controls to restrict PDF reader usage to trusted sources and consider deploying sandboxing mechanisms to isolate PDF processing activities. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper memory management practices in security-critical applications and highlights the necessity of thorough code reviews and security testing throughout the software development lifecycle. Additionally, network segmentation and endpoint protection solutions should be configured to detect and block malicious PDF content, while user education programs should emphasize the risks of opening untrusted PDF documents from unknown sources.