CVE-2024-32488

Local privilege escalation via writable update-service folder

Published Apr 15, 2024 · Updated Aug 9, 2024

Local privilege escalation in Foxit PDF Reader and Editor before 2024.1 allows local users to execute malicious DLLs during update checks. Weak permissions on the update-service folder let an unprivileged user place a crafted DLL where the elevated update service loads it. Exploitation requires local low-privilege access and yields code execution with the service's elevated privileges.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.16%
Next 30 days · Sep 17, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Local privilege escalation in Foxit PDF Reader and Editor before 2024.1 allows local users to execute malicious DLLs during update checks. Weak permissions on the update-service folder let an unprivileged user place a crafted DLL where the elevated update service loads it. Exploitation requires local low-privilege access and yields code execution with the service's elevated privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2024-32488
Published
Apr 15, 2024
Updated
Aug 9, 2024
Vendor
Foxit Software
Product
Foxit PDF Reader
Classifications
CWE-280, T1574.001
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 15, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 9, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=0 <=2023.3.0.23028

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Foxit Software · Foxit PDF Readerversion=0 <=2023.3.0.23028
Foxit Software · Foxit PDF Editorversion=11.0.0 <=11.2.8.53842; version=12.0.0 <=12.1.4.15400; version=13.0 <13.0.1.21693; version=2023.0 <=2023.3.0.23028

Published CVSS scores

7.8CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-280Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges
T1574.001Hijack Execution Flow: DLL

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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