How severe is CVE-2018-18689?

CVE-2018-18689 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.3, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity none, and availability none.

Is CVE-2018-18689 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (88th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-18689?

CVE-2018-18689 primarily affects Avanquest Expert Pdf Ultimate. In total, 30 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-18689?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2018-18689 published?

CVE-2018-18689 was published on 2021-01-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-18689

CVE-2018-18689 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Avanquest Expert Pdf Ultimate with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.3. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-347.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.3)
CVSS v2: 5.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 4% (88th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-347
Affected product: Avanquest Expert Pdf Ultimate
Published: 2021-01-07
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The Portable Document Format (PDF) specification does not provide any information regarding the concrete procedure of how to validate signatures. Consequently, a Signature Wrapping vulnerability exists in multiple products. An attacker can use /ByteRange and xref manipulations that are not detected by the signature-validation logic. This affects Foxit Reader before 9.4 and PhantomPDF before 8.3.9 and 9.x before 9.4. It also affects eXpert PDF 12 Ultimate, Expert PDF Reader, Nitro Pro, Nitro Reader, PDF Architect 6, PDF Editor 6 Pro, PDF Experte 9 Ultimate, PDFelement6 Pro, PDF Studio Viewer 2018, PDF Studio Pro, PDF-XChange Editor and Viewer, Perfect PDF 10 Premium, Perfect PDF Reader, Soda PDF, and Soda PDF Desktop.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-18689?: The Portable Document Format (PDF) specification does not provide any information regarding the concrete procedure of how to validate signatures. Consequently, a Signature Wrapping vulnerability exists in multiple products. An attacker can use /ByteRange and xref manipulations that are not detected by the signature-validation logic. This affects Foxit Reader before 9.4 and PhantomPDF before 8.3.9 and 9.x before 9.4. It also affects eXpert PDF 12 Ultimate, Expert PDF Reader, Nitro Pro, Nitro Reader, PDF Architect 6, PDF Editor 6 Pro, PDF Experte 9 Ultimate, PDFelement6 Pro, PDF Studio Viewer 2018, PDF Studio Pro, PDF-XChange Editor and Viewer, Perfect PDF 10 Premium, Perfect PDF Reader, Soda PDF, and Soda PDF Desktop.
How severe is CVE-2018-18689?: CVE-2018-18689 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.3, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2018-18689 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (88th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-18689?: CVE-2018-18689 primarily affects Avanquest Expert Pdf Ultimate. In total, 30 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-18689?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2018-18689 published?: CVE-2018-18689 was published on 2021-01-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (30)

cpe:2.3:a:avanquest:expert_pdf_ultimate:12.0.20:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:avanquest:pdf_experte_ultimate:9.0.270:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:foxitsoftware:foxit_reader:9.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:foxitsoftware:foxit_reader:9.2.0.9297:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:foxitsoftware:foxit_reader:9.3.0.10826:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gonitro:nitro_pro:11.0.3.173:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gonitro:nitro_reader:5.5.9.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:iskysoft:pdf_editor_6:6.4.2.3521:*:*:*:professional:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:iskysoft:pdfelement6:6.8.0.3523:*:*:*:professional:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:iskysoft:pdfelement6:6.8.4.3921:*:*:*:professional:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:pdf-xchange:pdf-xchange_editor:7.0.237.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:pdf-xchange:pdf-xchange_editor:7.0.326:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:pdfforge:pdf_architect:6.0.37:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:pdfforge:pdf_architect:6.1.24.1862:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:qoppa:pdf_studio:12.0.7:*:*:*:professional:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:qoppa:pdf_studio_viewer_2018:2018.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:qoppa:pdf_studio_viewer_2018:2018.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sodapdf:soda_pdf:9.3.17:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sodapdf:soda_pdf_desktop:10.2.09:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sodapdf:soda_pdf_desktop:10.2.16.1217:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:soft-xpansion:perfect_pdf_10:10.0.0.1:*:*:*:premium:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:soft-xpansion:perfect_pdf_reader:13.0.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:soft-xpansion:perfect_pdf_reader:13.1.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:tracker-software:pdf-xchange_viewer:2.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:visagesoft:expert_pdf_reader:9.0.180:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:foxitsoftware:foxit_reader:9.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:iskysoft:pdf_editor_6:6.6.2.3315:*:*:*:professional:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:iskysoft:pdf_editor_6:6.7.6.3399:*:*:*:professional:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:iskysoft:pdfelement6:6.7.1.3355:*:*:*:professional:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:iskysoft:pdfelement6:6.7.6.3399:*:*:*:professional:*:*:*

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