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VulnerabilityPublished

CVE-2025-13941: Foxit PDF Reader · Incorrect Permissions

Affects Foxit PDF ReaderSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.8 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
8.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 8% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 19 Dec 2025

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

What to do

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Foxit Software Inc. Foxit PDF ReaderAffected
  • <=2025.2.1
  • <=14.0.1
Fixed in–

AI-suggested

  1. Apply official patches from Foxit Software immediately once they become available to correct the file permission assignments in the update service.
  2. Until patches are released, manually audit and restrict file system permissions on the update service's plugin installation directories and executable resources to prevent modification by non-administrative users.
  3. Implement strict endpoint security controls, including application whitelisting and integrity monitoring, to detect unauthorized changes to update service files.
  4. Limit local user privileges wherever possible to reduce the risk of exploitation by low-privileged users.
  5. Monitor system logs and security alerts for suspicious activities related to the Foxit update service or unexpected privilege escalations.
  6. Educate IT and security teams about this vulnerability to ensure rapid response and remediation.
  7. Consider deploying host-based intrusion prevention systems (HIPS) that can block unauthorized code execution attempts at the SYSTEM level.
  8. Review and harden overall endpoint security posture, including restricting software installation rights and enforcing least privilege principles.

Description

A local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Foxit PDF Reader/Editor Update Service. During plugin installation, incorrect file system permissions are assigned to resources used by the update service. A local attacker with low privileges could modify or replace these resources, which are later executed by the service, resulting in execution of arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges.

References

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