CVE-2017-10952

Think of Foxit Reader like a document “viewer” app. This bug can be used to trick it into doing something it shouldn’t—specifically, running attacker code—after you interact with a malicious file or page. The worst case is that the attacker can take control of your computer in the context of the person running Foxit Reader.

This matters if your business runs Foxit Reader on any computer, especially if it’s version 8.2.0.2051. It’s not just about being connected to the internet—an attacker still needs you to interact by opening a malicious file or visiting a malicious page. In other words, it’s mainly a risk when untrusted documents/links can reach your users and they’re likely to click or open them.

This is urgent enough to treat as a priority because there is a public exploit available and the issue enables arbitrary code execution with user interaction. There’s also no known patch/fix information available, so reducing exposure through upgrading/replacing is the key immediate action.

1. Confirm exposure

   • On each affected machine, check the installed Foxit Reader version.
   • If it is exactly 8.2.0.2051, you are in the vulnerable set described for this CVE.

2. Patch/upgrade strategy

   • The findings report no fix/patch information available for CVE-2017-10952.
   • Therefore, the practical mitigation is to remove Foxit Reader 8.2.0.2051 and install a newer Foxit Reader release (or replace the software with an alternative) as soon as feasible.

3. Temporary workaround while waiting (or if upgrade isn’t immediate)

   • Tighten user behavior controls: only open PDFs/documents from trusted sources.
   • Avoid clicking links from unexpected emails/messages that could lead to malicious pages.

4. What to monitor

   • Look for signs of suspicious behavior on endpoints (unexpected new processes or software installs) around the time users opened documents or visited links.
   • Keep an eye on endpoint detection/response alerts if you have them.

5. Communication

   • Notify the team that opening untrusted documents/links is the trigger for exploitation, and emphasize the “don’t open it” rule until the vulnerable version is gone.

CVE-2017-10952 targets Foxit Reader and is associated with CWE-693 (Protection Mechanism Failure) and CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation). The described mechanism is that the vulnerability exists within the saveAs JavaScript function, where user-supplied data isn’t properly validated, allowing an attacker to write arbitrary files into attacker-controlled locations and execute code under the context of the current process. Exploitation requires user interaction: the victim must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. Exploit maturity: a public exploit is available (1 known). KEV: not listed in CISA KEV. Patch availability: no fix/patch information available in the provided findings.