CVE-2022-43649: Critical Vulnerability in Foxit PDF Reader 12..2.12465 Allows Remote Code Execution

A new critical vulnerability, identified as CVE-2022-43649, has been discovered in Foxit PDF Reader 12..2.12465, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations. This vulnerability requires user interaction, in that the target must visit a malicious webpage or open a malicious file. The specific flaw lies within the handling of Annotation objects and results from the lack of validating the existence of an object prior to performing operations on the object.

Exploit Details

This remote code execution vulnerability is related to the incorrect handling of Annotation objects in Foxit PDF Reader 12..2.12465. The issue stems from the software not validating the existence of an object before performing operations on it. This flaw enables an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process, potentially compromising the targeted system.

The vulnerability was assigned the identifier ZDI-CAN-19478 by the Zero Day Initiative prior to obtaining its CVE number.

Below is a sample code snippet demonstrating the vulnerability in the handling of Annotation objects

// Vulnerable code in Foxit PDF Reader 12..2.12465
function processAnnotations(annotObj) {
  // ...
  var annotation = annotObj.getAnnotation();
  // No validation of the existence of 'annotation' object
  // before performing operations on it
  annotation.setProperty("Color", "red");
  // ...
}

Mitigation

There is currently no patch available for this vulnerability in Foxit PDF Reader 12..2.12465. Users are advised to be cautious when opening PDF files from untrusted sources or visiting unknown web pages that might contain malicious content.

References

For more information about this vulnerability, please refer to the original security advisory released by the Zero Day Initiative:

- Zero Day Initiative - ZDI-CAN-19478

And the entry in the CVE database

- CVE-2022-43649

Conclusion

CVE-2022-43649 is a critical vulnerability in Foxit PDF Reader 12..2.12465 that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The flaw exists due to improper handling of Annotation objects and the lack of validation of an object's existence before performing operations. Users are advised to be cautious when opening PDF files or visiting web pages from untrusted sources, as exploitation requires user interaction.

Timeline

Published on: 03/29/2023 19:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 04/06/2023 18:37:00 UTC