CVE-2022-41148
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-18338.
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 U3D file parser. Specifically, when parsing crafted U3D files, the application writes data past the end of an allocated buffer due to insufficient bounds checking. An attacker can exploit this to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process by tricking a user into opening a malicious U3D 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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Determine installed PDF-XChange Editor versionOpen the application and navigate to Help > About, or right-click the executable (PDFXEdit.exe) and select Properties to view the File VersionAffected if The version shown is less than 9.5.366.0
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Confirm U3D file handling is availableVerify that PDF-XChange Editor can open and render PDF files containing U3D (Universal 3D) content - try opening a PDF with a 3D object or check if the application has U3D-related menu options under Insert or ObjectsAffected if U3D file parsing capability is present and the application processes 3D content
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Check for recent file operation logsReview the application logs or recent documents list for any opened .u3d files or PDFs containing U3D objects from around the time of potential exposureAffected if The user has opened any U3D files or PDFs containing U3D content
A user is affected if PDF-XChange Editor version is below 9.5.366.0 and they have opened or can open U3D files or PDFs containing U3D objects.
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
Update PDF-XChange Editor to the latest version containing the vendor patch. Avoid opening untrusted U3D files or files from unknown sources until the patch is applied.
PDF-XChange Editor version 9.5.366.0 or later
- 1. Navigate to the official PDF-XChange Editor download page at www.tracker-software.com
- 2. Download the latest version of PDF-XChange Editor (version 9.5.366.0 or later)
- 3. Close any running instances of PDF-XChange Editor
- 4. Install the downloaded update by running the installer
- 5. Verify the installation was successful by checking Help > About in the application
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
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-41148 — 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-2022-41148 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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