Foxit Reader vulnerable to critical remote code execution flaw

[Jack]

The yet-to-be-patched vulnerability is located in the browser plugin component installed by the application, researchers say

Foxit Reader, a PDF viewer application often used as an alternative to the more popular Adobe Reader, contains a critical vulnerability in its browser plug-in component that can be exploited by attackers to execute arbitrary code on computers.

Details about the vulnerability and how it can be exploited were publicly disclosed Monday by Andrea Micalizzi, an independent security researcher from Italy.

There is currently no official patch for the issue, according to an advisory from vulnerability intelligence and management company Secunia. The security firm rated the flaw as highly critical because it can be exploited remotely to gain system access.

Foxit's developers have identified the cause of the vulnerability and are working on creating a patch, a Foxit sales and service representative said Friday via email. The patch is expected to be released within one week, she said.

"The vulnerability is caused due to a boundary error in the Foxit Reader plugin for browsers (npFoxitReaderPlugin.dll) when processing a URL and can be exploited to cause a stack-based buffer overflow via e.g. an overly long file name in the URL," Secunia said. "Successful exploitation allows execution of arbitrary code."

The vulnerability has been confirmed in npFoxitReaderPlugin.dll version 2.2.1.530, which is installed by Foxit Reader 5.4.4.1128 -- the latest version of the program. However, older versions might also be affected, Secunia said.

By default, Foxit Reader installs the plug-in for Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera and Safari Web browsers.

Read more: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/011113-foxit-reader-vulnerable-to-critical-265711.html

 

[Valentin N]

Thanks for the important news!

 

[Ramblin]

Thanks Jack.

I use Foxit and have never installed or used the plugin. The article mentions that its installed by default but that its not so. I stay away from plugins as much as I can since it is safer. For people using Foxit, you can uninstall it or disable the Plugin in Firefox or in Foxit preferences. Then open PDFs out of the browser, that's how I prefer do it.

Another way to take care of this problem is to use Sandboxie. If you sandbox your browser even if the PDF is displayed in the browser, the infection wont do nothing to the system. Its gone when you delete the sandbox.

Bo

 

[Deleted member 178]

i am using Foxit portable so no plugin.