CVE-2023-27329
Published: 03 May 2024
Summary
CVE-2023-27329 is a high-severity Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability in Foxit Pdf Editor. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, ranked in the top 12.2% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Deeper analysis
CVE-2023-27329 is a use-after-free vulnerability in Foxit PDF Reader that affects the handling of Annotation objects. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of an object before operations are performed on it, enabling arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process on affected installations.
Remote attackers can exploit the issue by supplying a malicious PDF file or page that the target must open or visit, after which code runs with the privileges of the current user. The vulnerability carries a CVSS score of 7.8 and is tracked under CWE-416.
Foxit security bulletins and the corresponding Zero Day Initiative advisory ZDI-23-227 direct users to apply the patches listed on the vendor's security page to address the flaw.
The EPSS score rose materially from a low baseline to a peak of 0.3351 on 2025-12-11 before receding to the current value of 0.0348, indicating that exploitation interest emerged after disclosure.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-31105
Vulnerability details
Foxit PDF Reader Annotation 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…
more
malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the handling of Annotation 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 vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-19477.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
No named actor attribution yet. ATT&CK technique mapping in progress for this CVE.
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Use-after-free exploits that achieve arbitrary code execution are blocked or significantly hardened by non-executable pages and ASLR.