CVE-2022-37364
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThis vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of PDF-XChange Editor. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the parsing of EMF files. Crafted data in an EMF file can trigger a write past the end of an allocated buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-17634.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability exists in PDF-XChange Editor's EMF (Enhanced Metafile) file parser. When parsing specially crafted EMF files, the application writes data beyond the boundaries of an allocated memory buffer, potentially allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user process.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 9.3.361.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check PDF-XChange Editor versionOpen the application, then go to Help > About, or right-click the executable (PDFXCview.exe or PDFXEdit.exe) and select Properties > Details to view the Product VersionAffected if The version shown is 9.3.361.0 exactly
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Identify the executable nameCheck Program Files for PDF-XChange Editor executables - common names include PDFXCview.exe, PDFXEdit.exe, or PDFXChangeViewer.exeAffected if The executable exists and version check above shows 9.3.361.0
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Confirm EMF file handling is in useEMF files (.emf) are handled by default - verify by opening any EMF file in the application or checking File > Open dialog filtersAffected if EMF files can be opened in the application (this is enabled by default)
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Review recent file openingsCheck recent documents or email attachments opened in PDF-XChange Editor for any .emf files from untrusted sourcesAffected if User has recently opened EMF files from untrusted or unknown sources
A user is affected if PDF-XChange Editor version 9.3.361.0 is installed and they open specially crafted EMF files, as the buffer overflow occurs during EMF parsing.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUsers should avoid opening untrusted EMF files or visiting malicious webpages until a vendor patch is available. Organizations may consider endpoint protection or mail filtering to block suspicious EMF attachments.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-37364 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-37364 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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