CVE-2022-41143
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 U3D files. Crafted data in a U3D 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-18225.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in PDF-XChange Editor's U3D file parser. A maliciously crafted U3D file triggers an out-of-bounds write past the end of an allocated buffer during parsing, allowing arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user process. Requires user to open the malicious file.
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< 9.5.366.0CVSS 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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Confirm PDF-XChange Editor is installedCheck for the application in Program Files (usually C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange\PDF-XChange Editor or similar) or look for the application in Add/Remove Programs. The executable is typically TrackerPDFXED.exe.Affected if PDF-XChange Editor is present on the system
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Identify installed version numberRight-click on TrackerPDFXED.exe, select Properties, then view the Details tab to find the Product Version. Alternatively, open the application and go to Help > About PDF-XChange Editor to display the version.Affected if Version displayed is below 9.5.366.0
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Confirm vulnerability scopeThe flaw is in the U3D file parser component. U3D (Universal 3D) is a file format for 3D models that can be embedded in PDF documents. This vulnerability is triggered when opening a maliciously crafted U3D file.Affected if A vulnerable version (below 9.5.366.0) is installed and the user opens untrusted U3D files embedded in PDFs
You are affected if PDF-XChange Editor is installed and the installed version is lower than 9.5.366.0.
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.
dbcve · scoped9.5.366.0
Apply vendor patches from PDF-XChange Editor. Until patched, advise users to avoid opening untrusted U3D files or visiting untrusted websites that could deliver malicious files.
9.5.366.0 or later (latest stable release)
- 1. Navigate to the official PDF-XChange Editor download page at www.tracker-software.com
- 2. Download PDF-XChange Editor version 9.5.366.0 or later (preferably the latest available version)
- 3. Close any running instances of PDF-XChange Editor
- 4. Run the installer and follow the prompts to install the updated version
- 5. After installation, verify the version by opening the application and checking Help > About to confirm version 9.5.366.0 or later is installed
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-41143 — 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-2022-41143 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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