CVE-2023-27331
Published: 03 May 2024
Summary
CVE-2023-27331 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-2023-27331 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the handling of Annotation objects within Foxit PDF Reader. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of object existence before performing operations, allowing arbitrary code execution when a specially crafted PDF is processed. It affects installations of Foxit PDF Reader and carries a CVSS 3.0 score of 7.8 with local attack vector, low complexity, and no privileges required.
Remote attackers can exploit the issue by supplying a malicious PDF file or webpage that triggers the vulnerability upon opening or rendering. Successful exploitation grants code execution in the context of the current user process, though user interaction is required to initiate the attack.
Advisories from Foxit and the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI-23-225) address the vulnerability and direct users to the vendor's security bulletin page for patch information and remediation guidance.
The EPSS score rose 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 increased after public disclosure.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-31107
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…
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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-19475.
- 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.