CVE-2018-20310 : What You Need to Know
Learn about CVE-2018-20310 affecting Foxit Reader & PhantomPDF versions before 9.5, leading to a stack-based buffer overflow or out-of-bounds read. Find mitigation steps and prevention measures.
Foxit Reader and PhantomPDF ProxyDoAction Race Condition Vulnerability
Understanding CVE-2018-20310
What is CVE-2018-20310?
Versions of Foxit Reader before 9.5 and PhantomPDF before 8.3.10 and 9.x before 9.5 are affected by a race condition in the proxyDoAction functionality. This vulnerability can lead to a stack-based buffer overflow or an out-of-bounds read.
The Impact of CVE-2018-20310
The vulnerability can be exploited by attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on the affected system.
Technical Details of CVE-2018-20310
Vulnerability Description
The race condition in the proxyDoAction functionality of Foxit Reader and PhantomPDF can result in a stack-based buffer overflow or an out-of-bounds read.
Affected Systems and Versions
- Foxit Reader versions prior to 9.5
- PhantomPDF versions prior to 8.3.10 and 9.x prior to 9.5
Exploitation Mechanism
Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to trigger a stack-based buffer overflow or an out-of-bounds read, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or DoS.
Mitigation and Prevention
Immediate Steps to Take
- Update Foxit Reader and PhantomPDF to versions 9.5 or later to mitigate the vulnerability.
- Exercise caution when opening PDF files from untrusted sources.
Long-Term Security Practices
- Regularly update software and applications to the latest versions.
- Implement network security measures to detect and block malicious activities.
Patching and Updates
Apply security patches and updates provided by Foxit Software to address the ProxyDoAction race condition vulnerability.