CVE-2018-18689

Name: CVE-2018-18689
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2021-01-07T18:15:12.56+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 5.3/10EPSS 3.69%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2018-18689 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.3/10 on the CVSS scale. 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. EPSS estimates a 3.69% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

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.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.3/10

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

EPSS Probability

3.69%

88.3th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-347

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Avanquest	Expert Pdf Ultimate	12.0.20
Avanquest	Pdf Experte Ultimate	9.0.270
Foxitsoftware	Foxit Reader	9.1.0
Foxitsoftware	Foxit Reader	9.2.0.9297
Foxitsoftware	Foxit Reader	9.3.0.10826
Gonitro	Nitro Pro	11.0.3.173
Gonitro	Nitro Reader	5.5.9.2
Iskysoft	Pdf Editor 6	6.4.2.3521
Iskysoft	Pdfelement6	6.8.0.3523
Iskysoft	Pdfelement6	6.8.4.3921
Pdf-Xchange	Pdf-Xchange Editor	7.0.237.1
Pdf-Xchange	Pdf-Xchange Editor	7.0.326
Pdfforge	Pdf Architect	6.0.37
Pdfforge	Pdf Architect	6.1.24.1862
Qoppa	Pdf Studio	12.0.7
Qoppa	Pdf Studio Viewer 2018	2018.0.1
Qoppa	Pdf Studio Viewer 2018	2018.2.0
Sodapdf	Soda Pdf	9.3.17
Sodapdf	Soda Pdf Desktop	10.2.09
Sodapdf	Soda Pdf Desktop	10.2.16.1217
Soft-Xpansion	Perfect Pdf 10	10.0.0.1
Soft-Xpansion	Perfect Pdf Reader	13.0.3
Soft-Xpansion	Perfect Pdf Reader	13.1.5
Tracker-Software	Pdf-Xchange Viewer	2.5
Visagesoft	Expert Pdf Reader	9.0.180
Foxitsoftware	Foxit Reader	9.2.0
Iskysoft	Pdf Editor 6	6.6.2.3315
Iskysoft	Pdf Editor 6	6.7.6.3399
Iskysoft	Pdfelement6	6.7.1.3355
Iskysoft	Pdfelement6	6.7.6.3399

References

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

Timeline

Published: Jan 7, 2021
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-18689?

How severe is CVE-2018-18689?

CVE-2018-18689 has a CVSS score of 5.3/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 3.69% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2018-18689?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2018-18689?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

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Source: NVD / NIST