CVE-2022-41151
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-18341.
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 confidencePDF-XChange Editor contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in its U3D file parser. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into opening malicious U3D files, causing out-of-bounds writes that enable arbitrary code execution in the context of the current 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< 9.5.366.0CVSS 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.
-
Confirm PDF-XChange Editor installationCheck for the application in the Windows program directory (typically C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange\PDF-XChange Editor) or review installed programs in Control Panel > Programs and FeaturesAffected if PDF-XChange Editor is present on the system
-
Identify installed version numberRight-click the PDF-XChange Editor executable, select Properties, then view the Details tab for the Product Version. Alternatively, open the application, click Help > About PDF-XChange Editor to display the exact version numberAffected if The displayed version is lower than 9.5.366.0
-
Verify U3D file handling capability is presentCheck if the application has U3D parsing modules available by examining the installation directory for U3D-related DLLs (such as U3D*.dll) or by attempting to open a U3D file to confirm the application attempts to process itAffected if U3D file parsing functionality is present and the application attempts to render U3D content when such files are opened
A user is affected if PDF-XChange Editor is installed with a version lower than 9.5.366.0 and the U3D file handling capability is available or enabled, allowing malicious U3D files to trigger the buffer overflow.
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
Users should avoid opening untrusted U3D files or visiting untrusted web pages until a vendor patch is applied. Organizations may consider disabling or restricting U3D file handling in PDF-XChange Editor as a temporary workaround.
9.5.366.0 or later
- 1. Navigate to the official PDF-XChange website at www.tracker-software.com
- 2. Locate the downloads section for PDF-XChange Editor
- 3. Download version 9.5.366.0 or later
- 4. Close any running instances of PDF-XChange Editor
- 5. Run the installer and follow the prompts to upgrade
- 6. Verify the installed version by checking Help > About > Version Information
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-41151 — 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-2022-41151 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data