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Foxit PDF Editor EUVDEUVD-2026-85167

| CVE-2026-91798 HIGH
Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource (CWE-732)
2026-09-23 Foxit GHSA-c38v-9c8x-3hf6
8.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: Foxit
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain low-privileged local account
  2. Delivery
    Locate world-writable update-daemon config
  3. Exploit
    Inject malicious script into config
  4. Execution
    Wait for privileged daemon to read config
  5. Persist
    Daemon executes script at high privilege
  6. Impact
    Full system compromise

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V13 - Configuration Permission assignment review
Exploitation Conditions

Requires an existing local, unprivileged user session on a host running Foxit PDF Editor or Foxit PDF Reader with the vulnerable auto-update daemon installed and its insecurely-permissioned configuration file present. The concrete prerequisite is that the update daemon's configuration file is modifiable by regular (non-admin) users, and that the daemon subsequently runs with elevated privileges to read and act on that file. Limiting factors: no remote vector (AV:L) - the attacker must already be on the machine (PR:L); exploitation depends on the daemon actually being installed and scheduled to run; and environments that harden or remove the auto-updater, or that have applied Foxit's fix, are not affected. No user interaction by a victim is required (UI:N).

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 vector (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H = 8.8) describes a classic local privilege escalation: an already-authenticated low-privileged local user (PR:L, AV:L) abuses weak filesystem permissions (CWE-732) on the update daemon's configuration file to run arbitrary script content in the daemon's higher-privilege (likely SYSTEM/root) context, producing full C:H/I:H/A:H with a scope change (S:C) as the impact crosses from the user to the elevated service. This is a genuine, high-quality finding but NOT a mass-exploitation emergency: exploitation requires an existing local foothold, so it is a post-compromise escalation primitive rather than an internet-facing entry point. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV entry, and no public POC were provided in the input, so there is no evidence of active exploitation - under an SSVC lens this reads as 'exploitation: none, automatable: no (local, requires prior access), technical impact: total.' The single vendor reference (Foxit security bulletins) is self-reported, which is consistent with a coordinated disclosure and patch rather than an observed attack. Net: real and worth patching promptly on managed fleets because of the total technical impact, but its practical priority is bounded by the local-access precondition.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who already has an unprivileged local account (or malware running as a standard user) writes malicious script/command content into the Foxit update daemon's world-writable configuration file. When the auto-update daemon next runs with elevated privileges, it reads the tampered configuration and executes the attacker-controlled script, granting SYSTEM/root-level code execution. No public exploit code is identified in the provided data, and no user interaction is required (UI:N).

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 23, 2026

A local privilege escalation vulnerability in the auto-update daemon shipped with Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Reader (CVE-2026-91798, CVSS 3.1 8.8) lets an already-authenticated, low-privileged local user abuse an insecurely permitted configuration file (CWE-732) to have the elevated daemon execute arbitrary script content with SYSTEM/root-level rights. Because the attacker must already hold a session on the host and the impact crosses a privilege boundary, the vector is AV:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C with full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact; no remote attack path exists, and no public exploit code was identified at time of analysis. Any host running a vulnerable Foxit build with the update daemon installed and the loosely permissioned configuration file present is exposed, making this most relevant to multi-user workstations, VDI, and terminal-server environments where unprivileged users share a machine with a privileged updater.

RemediationAI

Apply the fixed build published by Foxit for both Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Reader; consult the Foxit security bulletins page (https://www.foxit.com/support/security-bulletins.html) to confirm the exact patched version for your product line and edition, as a specific fix version was not included in the available data. If patching cannot be completed immediately, the highest-value compensating control is to neutralize the attack surface itself: disable and stop the Foxit update daemon and remove or disable its scheduled task/service so the loosely permissioned configuration file is never consumed by a privileged process - the trade-off is that the endpoint loses automatic security updates and must be updated manually. Alternatively, harden the permissions on the daemon's configuration file and its parent directory so that only SYSTEM/Administrators (or root) can write it and Authenticated Users/Users retain read-only access; this preserves auto-update functionality but requires validating that the daemon does not recreate the file with permissive ACLs on its next run, so re-check the ACL after every update cycle. On managed fleets, deploy Foxit via the enterprise/MSI package with the updater component excluded, which removes the vulnerable daemon entirely at the cost of centralized patch management responsibility. Because exploitation requires an existing low-privileged local session (AV:L/PR:L), prioritizing the fix on multi-user workstations, VDI pools, and terminal servers reduces the practical exposure while other hosts wait in the patch queue.

Affected VersionsENISA

Foxit PDF Reader Versions 2026.2 and earlier
Foxit PDF Editor Versions 13.2.6 and earlier
Foxit PDF Editor Versions 14.0.7 and earlier
Foxit PDF Editor Versions 2026.2 and earlier

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Technical ContextAI · show details

The flaw is a filesystem-permission weakness (CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource) in the update daemon of Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Reader, per Foxit Software Inc.'s own reporting. Windows auto-update services typically run as a privileged account (SYSTEM) and read configuration, manifest, or script files at a predictable path so they can apply product updates without user interaction. When that configuration resource is writable by non-administrative users, the daemon's own elevated context becomes the attacker's execution context: a regular user edits the file to introduce attacker-controlled script or command content, and the privileged daemon consumes it and runs it. The CPE entries confirm both the editor and the reader product lines (cpe:2.3:a:foxit_software_inc.:foxit_pdf_editor and cpe:2.3:a:foxit_software_inc.:foxit_pdf_reader) are in scope, and the CVSS vector's scope change (S:C) is the semantic marker for this boundary crossing - the compromise starts in the unprivileged user's security scope and lands in the daemon's higher-privilege scope. The AV:L/PR:L pair confirms this is not remotely reachable and not unauthenticated: the precondition is an existing local session plus the daemon being installed and scheduled to run, and the AC:L rating indicates the insecure permission is exploitable without special timing or race conditions.

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Severity by source

Vendor (Foxit) PRIMARY 8.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 8.8 HIGH

Local low-privileged user (AV:L/PR:L) tampers a user-writable config that a higher-privileged daemon executes, crossing a privilege boundary (S:C) for full C/I/A impact.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

Primary rating from Vendor (Foxit).

CVSS VectorVendor: Foxit

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

A local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the update daemon of Foxit PDF Editor/Reader due to an insecure permission configuration that allows the configuration file to be modified by regular users, which may lead to arbitrary script execution with higher privileges.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Reader contain a local privilege escalation vulnerability in their auto-update daemon, allowing an authenticated low-privileged local user to execute arbitrary scripts with SYSTEM/root rights on affected hosts. This poses a high risk to organizations that deploy these products on shared multi-user systems such as VDI or terminal servers, where a single compromised user account could lead to full machine compromise and lateral movement. No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis, and no public exploit identified at time of analysis, but leadership should prioritize interim mitigations.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Restrict write permissions on the Foxit auto-update daemon configuration file to SYSTEM/root and administrators only; disable the Foxit auto-update service/daemon on multi-user hosts (VDI, terminal servers) until a vendor patch is available; monitor for suspicious script execution (e.g., cmd.exe, powershell.exe, wscript.exe) spawned by the updater process.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 96% exploitable
Prevalence
High
Foxit PDF Reader/Editor is a widely deployed consumer and enterprise Adobe alternative
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

44
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +44
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.

CVE-2026-91814 MEDIUM POC
5.3 Sep 23

Content spoofing in Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Reader allows remote attackers to alter visible content in incrementa

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Local privilege escalation in Foxit PDF Editor for macOS allows an attacker with a low-privilege foothold to execute arb

CVE-2026-91812 HIGH
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Man-in-the-middle attackers occupying the network path of Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Reader software-update traffic

CVE-2026-91797 HIGH
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Path traversal in the attachment-handling logic of Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Reader lets a crafted PDF write an emb

CVE-2026-91794 HIGH
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An out-of-bounds write (CWE-787) in the PDF rendering engine of Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Reader can be triggered w

CVE-2026-91789 HIGH
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Out-of-bounds write in the U3D/GIF texture decoding path of Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Reader allows a crafted PDF t

CVE-2026-91801 HIGH
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Insufficient validation of embedded-resource file paths in Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Reader (CVE-2026-91801) lets a

CVE-2026-91791 HIGH
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Foxit PDF Editor and Reader can crash due to a use-after-free (CWE-416) when a user opens a specially crafted PDF that i

CVE-2026-91799 HIGH
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Use-after-free in Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Reader (CWE-416) lets a specially crafted PDF trigger memory corruption

CVE-2026-91815 HIGH
7.8 Sep 23

Heap-based out-of-bounds write in Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Reader occurs when the products decode JPEG2000 image d

CVE-2026-91790 HIGH
7.8 Sep 23

A use-after-free in Foxit PDF Editor and Foxit PDF Reader can be triggered by opening a crafted PDF whose image objects

CVE-2026-91792 HIGH
7.8 Sep 23

Specially crafted PDFs can trigger a use-after-free in Foxit PDF Reader and Editor when JavaScript is enabled, leading t

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