medium
5.3
CWE
347
Advisory Published
Updated

CVE-2018-18689

First published: Thu Jan 07 2021(Updated: )

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.

Credit: cve@mitre.org cve@mitre.org

Affected SoftwareAffected VersionHow to fix
Avanquest eXpert PDF Ultimate=12.0.20
Avanquest eXpert PDF Ultimate=9.0.270
Foxit Reader=9.1.0
Foxit Reader=9.2.0.9297
Foxit Reader=9.3.0.10826
Gonitro Nitro Pro=11.0.3.173
Nitro Reader=5.5.9.2
iSkysoft PDFelement 6=6.4.2.3521
iSkysoft PDFelement 6=6.8.0.3523
iSkysoft PDFelement 6=6.8.4.3921
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
Soda PDF Desktop=10.2.09
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 Editor=7.0.237.1
Tracker Software PDF-XChange Editor=7.0.326
Tracker Software PDF-XChange Viewer=2.5
Visagesoft eXpert PDF Reader=9.0.180
Microsoft Windows
Foxit Reader=9.2.0
iSkysoft PDFelement 6=6.6.2.3315
iSkysoft PDFelement 6=6.7.6.3399
iSkysoft PDFelement 6=6.7.1.3355
iSkysoft PDFelement 6=6.7.6.3399
Apple macOS
Linux Kernel
All of
Any of
Avanquest eXpert PDF Ultimate=12.0.20
Avanquest eXpert PDF Ultimate=9.0.270
Foxit Reader=9.1.0
Foxit Reader=9.2.0.9297
Foxit Reader=9.3.0.10826
Gonitro Nitro Pro=11.0.3.173
Nitro Reader=5.5.9.2
iSkysoft PDFelement 6=6.4.2.3521
iSkysoft PDFelement 6=6.8.0.3523
iSkysoft PDFelement 6=6.8.4.3921
Tracker Software PDF-XChange Editor=7.0.237.1
Tracker Software 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
Soda PDF Desktop=10.2.09
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
Microsoft Windows
All of
Any of
Foxit Reader=9.1.0
Foxit Reader=9.2.0
iSkysoft PDFelement 6=6.6.2.3315
iSkysoft PDFelement 6=6.7.6.3399
iSkysoft PDFelement 6=6.7.1.3355
iSkysoft PDFelement 6=6.7.6.3399
qoppa PDF Studio=12.0.7
qoppa PDF Studio Viewer 2018=2018.0.1
qoppa PDF Studio Viewer 2018=2018.2.0
Apple macOS
All of
Any of
Foxit Reader=9.1.0
Foxit Reader=9.2.0
qoppa PDF Studio=12.0.7
qoppa PDF Studio Viewer 2018=2018.0.1
qoppa PDF Studio Viewer 2018=2018.2.0
Linux Kernel

Never miss a vulnerability like this again

Sign up to SecAlerts for real-time vulnerability data matched to your software, aggregated from hundreds of sources.

Read MoreStart Free Trial

Reference Links

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is CVE-2018-18689?

    CVE-2018-18689 is a Signature Wrapping vulnerability in multiple PDF products.

  • Which software products are affected by CVE-2018-18689?

    The affected software products include Avanquest Expert Pdf Ultimate, Avanquest Pdf Experte Ultimate, Foxitsoftware Foxit Reader, Gonitro Nitro Pro, Iskysoft Pdf Editor 6, Iskysoft Pdfelement6, pdfforge PDF Architect, Qoppa Pdf Studio, Qoppa Pdf Studio Viewer 2018, Sodapdf Soda Pdf, Sodapdf Soda Pdf Desktop, Soft-xpansion Perfect Pdf 10, Soft-xpansion Perfect Pdf Reader, Tracker-software Pdf-xchange Editor, Tracker-software Pdf-xchange Viewer, and Visagesoft Expert Pdf Reader.

  • What is the severity of CVE-2018-18689?

    CVE-2018-18689 has a severity of 5.3, which is considered medium.

  • How does CVE-2018-18689 work?

    CVE-2018-18689 exploits the lack of information in the PDF specification regarding signature validation, allowing attackers to use /ByteRange and xref manipulations.

  • Are Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, and Linux Linux kernel vulnerable to CVE-2018-18689?

    No, Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, and Linux Linux kernel are not vulnerable to CVE-2018-18689.

  • How can I find more information about CVE-2018-18689?

    You can find more information about CVE-2018-18689 at the following references: [Link 1](https://pdf-insecurity.org/signature/evaluation_2018.html), [Link 2](https://pdf-insecurity.org/signature/signature.html), [Link 3](https://www.foxitsoftware.com/support/security-bulletins.php).

Company

Resources

Contact

SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
132 Wickham Terrace
Fortitude Valley,
QLD 4006, Australia
info@secalerts.co
By using SecAlerts services, you agree to our services end-user license agreement. This website is safeguarded by reCAPTCHA and governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. All names, logos, and brands of products are owned by their respective owners, and any usage of these names, logos, and brands for identification purposes only does not imply endorsement. If you possess any content that requires removal, please get in touch with us.
© 2025 SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
ABN: 70 645 966 203, ACN: 645 966 203