CVE-2022-41149
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-18339.
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. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into opening malicious U3D files, causing a write past the end of an allocated buffer and achieving arbitrary code execution in the current process context.
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 or Program Files (x86) folder, or look for the application in Add/Remove Programs (Windows) or Applications folder (Mac)Affected if PDF-XChange Editor is present on the system
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Identify installed versionRight-click the executable (PDFXCview.exe or PDFXEdit.exe), select Properties, and check the File Version tab. Alternatively, open the application and go to Help > About to display the version numberAffected if The displayed version is lower than 9.5.366.0
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Check U3D file handling capabilityAttempt to open a U3D file extension (.u3d) with PDF-XChange Editor or verify the application has U3D parsing modules present in the installation directoryAffected if U3D files can be opened or processed by the installed version
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Verify affected version rangeCompare your installed version number against the vulnerable range: any version below 9.5.366.0 is affectedAffected if Installed version is < 9.5.366.0 AND U3D file handling is available
You are affected if PDF-XChange Editor is installed with a version below 9.5.366.0 and the application can process U3D files.
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 the vendor patch from PDF-XChange Editor or disable/open U3D file handling with caution for untrusted sources.
9.5.366.0 or later
- Check the current version of PDF-XChange Editor by clicking Help > About in the application menu
- Navigate to the official PDF-XChange website (www.tracker-software.com) and download version 9.5.366.0 or later
- Close PDF-XChange Editor if currently open
- Run the installer and follow the prompts to upgrade to the fixed version
- Verify the installation was successful by checking Help > About to confirm the version is 9.5.366.0 or higher
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-41149 — 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-2022-41149 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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