How severe is CVE-2018-9981?

CVE-2018-9981 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2018-9981 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (85th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-9981?

CVE-2018-9981 primarily affects Foxitsoftware Foxit Reader. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-9981?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2018-9981 published?

CVE-2018-9981 was published on 2018-05-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-9981

CVE-2018-9981 is a high-severity vulnerability in Foxitsoftware Foxit Reader with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8. 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-824.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.8)
CVSS v2: 6.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (85th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-824
Affected product: Foxitsoftware Foxit Reader
Published: 2018-05-17
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable installations of Foxit Reader 9.0.0.29935. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the parsing of U3D files. The issue results from the lack of proper initialization of a pointer prior to accessing it. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code under the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-5431.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-9981?: This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable installations of Foxit Reader 9.0.0.29935. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the parsing of U3D files. The issue results from the lack of proper initialization of a pointer prior to accessing it. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code under the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-5431.
How severe is CVE-2018-9981?: CVE-2018-9981 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2018-9981 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (85th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-9981?: CVE-2018-9981 primarily affects Foxitsoftware Foxit Reader. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-9981?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2018-9981 published?: CVE-2018-9981 was published on 2018-05-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:a:foxitsoftware:foxit_reader:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:foxitsoftware:phantompdf:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

Other CWE-824 vulnerabilities

CVE-2009-0846 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The asn1_decode_generaltime function in lib/krb5/asn.1/asn1_decode.c in the ASN.1 GeneralizedTime decoder in MIT…
CVE-2007-2442 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The gssrpc__svcauth_gssapi function in the RPC library in MIT Kerberos 5 (krb5) 1.6.1 and earlier might allow remote…
CVE-2026-2805 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Invalid pointer in the DOM: Core & HTML component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 148 and Thunderbird 148.
CVE-2026-2785 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Invalid pointer in the JavaScript Engine component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 148, Firefox ESR 140.8,…
CVE-2022-46280 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A use of uninitialized pointer vulnerability exists in the PQS format pFormat functionality of Open Babel 3.1.1 and…
CVE-2022-44451 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A use of uninitialized pointer vulnerability exists in the MSI format atom functionality of Open Babel 3.1.1 and master…

Browse all CWE-824 vulnerabilities →