Cybersecurity Advisory Notice
August 30, 2019
Foxit has determined that unauthorized access to its data systems took place recently. Third parties have gained access to Foxit’s “My Account” user account data, which contains email addresses, passwords, users’ names, phone numbers, company names and IP addresses. No payment information was exposed.
Foxit’s security team has immediately launched a digital forensics investigation. The company has invalidated the account passwords for all potentially impacted accounts, requiring users to reset their passwords to regain access to the My Account service. Foxit has notified law enforcement agencies and data protection authorities and is destined to cooperate with the agencies’ investigations. In addition, the company has hired a security management firm to conduct an in-depth analysis, strengthen the company’s security posture and protect against future cyber security incidents.
Foxit has contacted all affected users and informed them about the risks and what steps to take to keep risks at a minimum. Foxit recommends its customers to not underestimate the risk of the data breach and to remain vigilant. Customers that use their Foxit “My Account” credentials on other websites or services are encouraged to change their passwords to prevent unauthorized access. Foxit also recommends customers to remain vigilant by reviewing account statements and monitoring credit reports to avoid identity theft. Customers should furthermore be aware that fraudsters may use their data to gather further information by deception (“phishing”).
Foxit’s “My Account” is a free membership service that gives customers access to software trial downloads, order histories, product registration information, and troubleshooting and support information. The system holds users’ names, email addresses, company names, IP addresses, and phone numbers, but does not hold other personal identification data or payment card information. Foxit does not keep customer credit card information in its systems. Foxit has emailed it’s My Account customers with this notification and a link to create a new and more secure password.
Security and the privacy of customer data is very important to Foxit, and the company will take all reasonable steps to ensure customer information stay secure in the future.
For further information customers can contact the data protection officer of Foxit Inc. under [email protected].
August 22, 2017
Zero Day Vulnerabilities (CVE-2017-10951; CVE-2017-10952) with Foxit Reader and PhantomPDF
1. Nature of this Vulnerability — allowing user who is not using “Safe Reading Mode” to execute powerful JavaScript functions that can potentially cause security concerns. “Safe Reading Mode” is enabled in both PhantomPDF and Reader as a default setting, but user can disable it using preference settings.
2. How we plan to solve this problem — add an additional guard in PhantomPDF/Reader code where when opening a PDF document contains these powerful ( and thus potentially insecure) JavaScript functions, the software will check if the document is digitally signed by a verifiable/trustworthy person of entity. Only certified documents can run these powerful JS functions even when “Safe Reading Mode” is turned off.
3. When is the fix going to be ready — we plan to release a Reader/PhantomPDF 8.3.2 patch update this week (ETA Aug 25th) with additional guard against misuse of powerful (potentially insecure) JavaScript functions — this will make Foxit software equivalent to what Adobe does.
4. Who and what products are impacted — because this vulnerability can be caused by user(potential hackers) misusing powerful JavaScript functions. Only PhantomPDF and Reader users who have turn off the default setting of “Safe Reading Mode” to allow execution of JavaScript in any pdf document might get impacted. Users for other Foxit Products are not impacted by this vulnerability. For Phantom and Reader users, it’s our recommendation and out of box setting to disallow JavaScript execution until user verifies the source of document. If user continues to keep the “Safe Reading Mode” setting on, they will not be impacted.
5. How to check and re-enable “Safe Reading Mode” in PhantomPDF and Reader
For end user of PhantomPDF or Reader, please go to Preference > Trust Manager
For users who want to configure thru Window's Registry
For IT or system admin who want to batch configure, please use GPO template https://cdn01.foxitsoftware.com/pub/foxit/manual/reader/en_us/FoxitEnterpriseDeploymentAndConfiguration_831.pdf
March 15, 2017
Foxit Reader is a fast, affordable, and secure way to view PDF files. Over 425 million users have already made the switch to Foxit Reader. If you are not already using Foxit to manage all your PDFs, we encourage you to upgrade today. The latest version of Foxit Reader is available on our website: /pdf-reader/.
At the core of Foxit Reader is a secure processing engine that is also powering platforms such as Google Chrome, Google Gmail, and Amazon Kindle. Billions of people confidently exchange sensitive over these platforms.
Even in the face of continual threats from hackers and other threats, Foxit Reader is secure enough to withstand any cybersecurity attack. It is important, therefore, that you use authentic Foxit software.
Recently some of our customers alerted us about Foxit Reader being listed in Vault 7: CIA hacking tools revealed. They stated the following two new DLL hijack issues with Foxit Reader:
#1 - Foxit Reader attempts to auto update itself, looking for a DLL named “UpdateLOC.dll” from its plugins folder (\Foxit Reader\plugins).
We confirm that there’s no “UpdateLOC.dll” under its plugins folder (\Foxit Reader\plugins), so there’s no such hijack issue in Foxit Reader.
#2 - Foxit attempts to load the system DLL “msimg32.dll” adjacent to itself first (\app\Foxit Reader\) before loading it in the proper location.
We don’t attempt to load the system DLL “msimg32.dll” adjacent to itself first (\app\Foxit Reader\) as we call GetSystemDirectory() directly to get the real msimg32.dll. Foxit use a fully qualified path name when loading “msimg32.dll”, so there’s no such hijack issue in Foxit Reader.
More information about guidance for developers on how to load libraries securely can be found at https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/srd/2010/08/23/more-information-about-the-dll-preloading-remote-attack-vector/. “While there are several affected situations, described in detail in the above MSDN article, our general recommendations are: Where possible, use a fully qualified path name when loading a library; ….”
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions: [email protected].
May 22, 2016
Foxit© Reader is a fast, secure and inexpensive way to view PDF files. Over 400 million people have already made the switch to Foxit Reader. If you are not already using Foxit to manage all your PDFs, we encourage you to upgrade today. The latest version of Foxit Reader is available on our website: //pdf-reader/.
At the core of Foxit Reader is a secure processing engine that is also powering platforms such as Google Chrome, Google Gmail and Amazon Kindle. Billions of people exchange sensitive over these platforms and do so confidently.
Even in the face of continual threats from hackers and other criminals, Foxit Reader is secure enough to withstand any cybersecurity attack. It is important, therefore, that you use authentic Foxit Software.
Some of our customers find it more convenient to download Foxit Reader from one of our partner sites. No matter where you are downloading our software from, be sure to confirm that Foxit Software Incorporated is identified as the verified publisher when the User Account Control popup window appears (see figure 1 below). The Foxit logo should also be included in the window.
Figure 1: User Account Control popup window confirming authenticity of Foxit Reader software download
If you have previously downloaded Foxit Reader and are unsure about the authenticity of your reader, follow these steps:
- Double click on the install directory and locate the FoxitReader.exe file
- Right click on the .exe file and select Properties
- In the FoxitReader Properties Window, choose the Digital Signatures tab and check that the file is signed by Foxit Software Incorporated (see figure 2 below).
Figure 2: Digital Signature Details popup window confirming authenticity of Foxit Reader software installation
Don't risk of exposing yourself to security risks—use only genuine Foxit Software.
Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions: [email protected].
March 15, 2011
Support Note: Secunia Advisory SA43776
On March 15, 2011 a Secunia security advisory was issued (http://secunia.com/advisories/43776/) with regards to the Foxit® Reader. The vulnerability is due to an insecure "createDataObject()" function in the JavaScript API. This insecure function allows the creation of arbitrary files with controlled content via a specially crafted PDF file. This function could be taken advantage of maliciously and compromise the security of your computer.
To protect against harm, Foxit Reader users need to update their Reader to the latest version and then enable Safe Reading Mode. The most up-to-date Foxit Reader can be installed by choosing the Help->Check for Updates Now. When the pop-up box appears, click on the Preferences box on the bottom and then enable the automatically check for Foxit updates function. Enabling Safe Reading Mode can be accomplished by choosing Tools->Preference->Trust Manager and then by clicking the option of Enable Safe Reading Mode. This can also be done during initial installation of the Foxit Reader. Safe Reading Mode enables users to control unauthorized actions and data transmissions; including URL connections, launching external files, and running JavaScript functions, to efficiently avoid attacks from malicious documents. If Safe Reading Mode is disabled, users must only open trusted PDF documents to guard against malicious attacks.
if you have any questions regarding this advisory, or any other questions, please contact Foxit by phone (+1-866-MYFOXIT or +02-522-8291) or enter a trouble ticket via our Support Portal.