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back to article 400 million Foxit users need to catch up with patched-up reader

Makers of popular PDF reader Foxit have patched 12 dangerous vulnerabilities that could have resulted in remote code execution. Some 400 million users run the flagship reader billed as an alternative to Adobe Reader. Thedozen flaws are patched in Windows and Linux variants. Users would need to be conned into opening a …

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  1. Paratrooping Parrot
    WTF?

    That's a huge download!!!

    How come Foxit Reader has become 46 Megabytes??? It used to be so much smaller! The default install is now over 100 Megabytes!!!! I had to deselect all the options for just a basic pdf viewer. They have removed the real reason we loved Foxit. It used to be fast and small. I will have to find an alternative!

    15 0 Reply
    1. joed
      Reply Icon

      Re: That's a huge download!!!

      SumatraPDF comes to the rescue. Small and no kitchen&sink mindset helps in limiting security risks. PDFXCview if scripting support (e.g. forms) was needed (they have portable version as well).

      12 0 Reply
    2. Schultz
      Reply Icon

      I second the Sumatra PDF recommendation

      Sumatra is light and fast and it works. The completely dysfunctional ribbon interface broke Foxit for me. And that dysfunctional interface eats up a good part of your screen real estate if you run it on a laptop.

      6 0 Reply
      1. Qarumba
        Reply Icon

        Re: I second the Sumatra PDF recommendation

        Thanks for that. 5MB download and works just the way Foxit used to. I also recommend this.

        2 0 Reply
        1. Robert Carnegie Silver badge
          Reply Icon

          Also

          For those who don't know, Adobe also provides a PDF reader product.

          If you try it I think you'll never uninstall it. (But if you find out how, pass it on.)

          2 0 Reply

      2. This post has been deleted by its author

    3. Woodgar
      Reply Icon

      Re: That's a huge download!!!

      "Foxit Reader 8.0 rolls out ConnectedPDF with a set of document tracking and sharing features, and adds new features and enhancements including integration with Dropbox, Touch Mode support, and more."

      I went with Foxit as it *didn't* have all sorts of irrelevant crap rolled up into it. It used to be a simple PDF viewer that did just what it was supposed to do and nothing more. Time to ditch it.

      5 0 Reply
  2. ammabamma
    Unhappy

    Well shit...

    The old February 2016 vintage is the last one that offered the nice "Classic Toolbar Mode" option instead of the hideous "Ribbon Mode".

    I am not rabidly anti-ribbon—I have found a good ribbon can make tasks and actions more discoverable in certain situations—but Foxit's ribbon interface implementation is absolutely terrible; it takes 2x-3x the vertical screen real estate (took 2 screenshots and measured the heights in GIMP), and takes 2 extra clicks to get tasks done.

    I feel now like "Buggered if I do upgrade" (loose valuable screen realestate and smooth work flow) and "Damned if I don't" (Old PDF reader is now vulnerable to all sorts of nasties).

    Does any fellow commentard have and suggestions/recommendations for alternate PDF readers for Windows? Ideally something with "View PDF Page as Text" and measurement tools? (Two features I make extensive use of in Foxit)...

    4 0 Reply
    1. gypsythief
      Reply Icon

      Re: Well shit...

      You could try here: http://alternativeto.net/software/foxit-reader/

      I will leave it as an excerise for the reader to grep for ones with measuring tools!

      2 0 Reply
  3. Mark #255
    Coat

    Foxit

    I saw a word ending in ..xit and thought, which country wants to leave now?

    3 1 Reply
    1. Mpeler
      Reply Icon
      Coat

      Re: Foxit

      Yeah, I was hoping it was Adobe who were leaving (in a Flash), as it's usually Adobe who Foxit up...

      0 0 Reply
  4. Gene Cash Silver badge

    Android

    Foxit on Android asks for identity, wi-fi connection info, device ID, and call info, so that was a big 'ol bag of fuck-no. It also asks for in-app purchases.

    Unfortunately I've got a motorcycle manual PDF that's a little malformed, so it causes lots of readers to crash. I need it on my phone because I refer to it about once a month for various obscure settings and when the bike emits error messages. Or I could just buy a Honda, I guess.

    It's a landscape PDF and that seems to cause difficulties for lots of readers as well. Some crash when you rotate the device, just chop off major portions of the page, require you to scroll massively, or shrink it to unreadable postage-stamp size. This includes the Google PDF viewer.

    Some of them slammed me with full-screen ads every couple pages. Seriously. [page][page][page]BUYDILDOSINCHINA[page][page]....

    A lot had crappy UIs, with indecipherable icons, insane menu trees, or functions that just plain didn't seem to work.

    As mentioned with Foxit, a lot wanted totally unrelated permissions.

    I finally found "Document Viewer" 2.7.4 on F-Droid (search for "pdf") and it's also open-source under GPLv3. Crappy name. Good app. It has a quickly-clickable option to force landscape or portrait, as well as the ability to shrink-to-fit width/height/both/none like a desktop application can.

    4 0 Reply
    1. Cynical Observer
      Reply Icon
      Pint

      Re: Android

      Nice recommendation on Document Viewer - as you pointed out, they don't make it overly easy to locate.

      Direct Play Store link:

      Document Viewer: PDF, DjVu,...

      Worth one ---->

      1 0 Reply
  5. NanoMeter

    I switched to FoxIt once

    because it was supposed to be better than Adobe PDF reader when it comes to these kind of vulnerabilities. Is Adobe PDF reader better than FoxIt now?

    0 0 Reply
  6. batfastad

    SumatraPDF

    SumatraPDF.

    3 0 Reply
  7. PassiveSmoking
    Coat

    Foxit? The referendum to exit a fox?

    0 0 Reply
  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Does this mean Foxits "Safe Viewer" mode is bjorked??

    0 0 Reply
  9. Tannin

    PDFExchange for me. Small, fast, flexible, no junkware. Probably misses out on 1017 "must have" features I have never heard of and don't want.

    I junked Foxit years ago. For a one-time small, good PDF reader, Foxit has done a wonderful job of turning itself into a great, bloated pile of (unpleasant substance).

    0 0 Reply
    1. Mint Sauce
      Reply Icon

      Yup I also junked Foxit years back when it became a bloated adobe-a-like. Shame but seems to be the way all too often. Now using Sumatra but also used PDF exchange too.

      0 0 Reply

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