HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-18689

MEDIUM

CVE-2018-18689

CWE-347Published: January 7, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

5.3

CVSS v3.1

Official 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.

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-18689 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability

Attack VectorNetwork

Attack ComplexityLow

Privileges Req.None

User InteractionNone

ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityLow

IntegrityNone

AvailabilityNone

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

Affected Vendors & Products

Apple1 product(s)

macos

avanquest2 product(s)

expert pdf ultimatepdf experte ultimate

foxitsoftware1 product(s)

foxit reader

gonitro2 product(s)

nitro pronitro reader

iskysoft2 product(s)

pdf editor 6pdfelement6

Linux1 product(s)

linux kernel

Microsoft1 product(s)

windows

pdf-xchange1 product(s)

pdf-xchange editor

pdfforge1 product(s)

pdf architect

qoppa2 product(s)

pdf studiopdf studio viewer 2018

sodapdf2 product(s)

soda pdfsoda pdf desktop

soft-xpansion2 product(s)

perfect pdf 10perfect pdf reader

tracker-software1 product(s)

pdf-xchange viewer

visagesoft1 product(s)

expert pdf reader

Source: NVD CPE · 33 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time

Offensive Security exploit database

GitHub PoC Search

Community PoC repositories

Rapid7 / Metasploit

Metasploit module search

Security advisories & exploits

Official NIST entry

CVE Program entry

External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttps://pdf-insecurity.org/signature/evaluation_2018.html

ADVISORYhttps://pdf-insecurity.org/signature/signature.html

ADVISORYhttps://www.foxitsoftware.com/support/security-bulletins.php

ADVISORYhttps://www.pdfa.org/recently-identified-pdf-digital-signature-vulnerabilities/

ADVISORYhttps://pdf-insecurity.org/signature/evaluation_2018.html

ADVISORYhttps://pdf-insecurity.org/signature/signature.html

ADVISORYhttps://www.foxitsoftware.com/support/security-bulletins.php

ADVISORYhttps://www.pdfa.org/recently-identified-pdf-digital-signature-vulnerabilities/

All References (8)

→

https://pdf-insecurity.org/signature/evaluation_2018.htmlThird Party Advisory

→

https://pdf-insecurity.org/signature/signature.htmlThird Party Advisory

→

https://www.foxitsoftware.com/support/security-bulletins.phpVendor Advisory

→

https://www.pdfa.org/recently-identified-pdf-digital-signature-vulnerabilities/Third Party Advisory

→

https://pdf-insecurity.org/signature/evaluation_2018.htmlThird Party Advisory

→

https://pdf-insecurity.org/signature/signature.htmlThird Party Advisory

→

https://www.foxitsoftware.com/support/security-bulletins.phpVendor Advisory

→

https://www.pdfa.org/recently-identified-pdf-digital-signature-vulnerabilities/Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-18689

CVSS Score5.3 / 10

SeverityMEDIUM

WeaknessCWE-347

CISA KEVNo

Affected14 vendor(s)

PublishedJan 7, 2021

Related CVEs (CWE-347)

Recommended Actions

→Apply vendor patches immediately
→Monitor CVE-2018-18689 in threat intel feeds
→Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts

Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.

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