CVE-2023-40194 Vulnerability Analysis & Exploit Details

CVE-2023-40194
Vulnerability Scoring

8.8
/10
Severe Risk

Cybersecurity professionals consider CVE-2023-40194 an immediate threat requiring urgent mitigation.

Attack Complexity Details

  • Attack Complexity: Low
    Exploits can be performed without significant complexity or special conditions.
  • Attack Vector: Network
    Vulnerability is exploitable over a network without physical access.
  • Privileges Required: None
    No privileges are required for exploitation.
  • Scope: Unchanged
    Exploit remains within the originally vulnerable component.
  • User Interaction: Required
    User interaction is necessary for successful exploitation.

CVE-2023-40194 Details

Status: Modified

Last updated: 🕗 21 Nov 2024, 08:18 UTC
Originally published on: 🕓 27 Nov 2023, 16:15 UTC

Time between publication and last update: 359 days

CVSS Release: version 3

CVSS3 Source

talos-cna@cisco.com

CVSS3 Type

Secondary

CVSS3 Vector

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

CVE-2023-40194 Vulnerability Summary

CVE-2023-40194: An arbitrary file creation vulnerability exists in the Javascript exportDataObject API of Foxit Reader 12.1.3.15356 due to mistreatment of whitespace characters. A specially crafted malicious file can create files at arbitrary locations, which can lead to arbitrary code execution. An attacker needs to trick the user into opening the malicious file to trigger this vulnerability. Exploitation is also possible if a user visits a specially crafted, malicious site if the browser plugin extension is enabled.

Assessing the Risk of CVE-2023-40194

Access Complexity Graph

The exploitability of CVE-2023-40194 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).

Exploitability Analysis for CVE-2023-40194

With low attack complexity and no required privileges, CVE-2023-40194 is an easy target for cybercriminals. Organizations should prioritize immediate mitigation measures to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.

Understanding AC and PR

A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.

Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.

Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.

CVSS Score Breakdown Chart

Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2023-40194, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.

CIA Impact Analysis

Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2023-40194, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.

  • Confidentiality: High
    Exploiting CVE-2023-40194 can result in unauthorized access to sensitive data, severely compromising data privacy.
  • Integrity: High
    CVE-2023-40194 could allow unauthorized modifications to data, potentially affecting system reliability and trust.
  • Availability: High
    CVE-2023-40194 can disrupt system operations, potentially causing complete denial of service (DoS).

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

The EPSS score estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the near future.

EPSS Score: 0.727% (probability of exploit)

EPSS Percentile: 80.87% (lower percentile = lower relative risk)
This vulnerability is less risky than approximately 19.129999999999995% of others.

CVE-2023-40194 References

External References

CWE Common Weakness Enumeration

CWE-610

CAPEC Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification

  • XML Routing Detour Attacks CAPEC-219 An attacker subverts an intermediate system used to process XML content and forces the intermediate to modify and/or re-route the processing of the content. XML Routing Detour Attacks are Adversary in the Middle type attacks (CAPEC-94). The attacker compromises or inserts an intermediate system in the processing of the XML message. For example, WS-Routing can be used to specify a series of nodes or intermediaries through which content is passed. If any of the intermediate nodes in this route are compromised by an attacker they could be used for a routing detour attack. From the compromised system the attacker is able to route the XML process to other nodes of their choice and modify the responses so that the normal chain of processing is unaware of the interception. This system can forward the message to an outside entity and hide the forwarding and processing from the legitimate processing systems by altering the header information.

Vulnerable Configurations

  • cpe:2.3:a:foxitsoftware:foxit_reader:12.1.3.15356:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:foxitsoftware:foxit_reader:12.1.3.15356:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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