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Pdf Xchange EditorApplication · Pdf Xchange

CVE-2022-41152

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.5.366.0 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 · unedited
This 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 read 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-18342.

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 confidence

This is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in PDF-XChange Editor's U3D file parser. Crafted U3D files trigger a read past the end of an allocated buffer, which can be leveraged by attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process. User interaction is required (opening a malicious file or visiting a malicious page).

MitigationApply the vendor patch when available. Until then, instruct users to avoid opening untrusted U3D files or visiting untrusted webpages, and consider disabling U3D rendering if the software supports it.

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
Pdf Xchange EditorApplication
Affected:< 9.5.366.0

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify PDF-XChange Editor is installed
    Check for the application in the system: look for 'PDF-XChange Editor' in installed programs (run 'appwiz.cpl' or check Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall), or look for the executable (usually TrackerSoftware or similar in Program Files)
    Affected if The software is present on the system
  2. Determine installed version number
    Right-click the PDF-XChange Editor executable (commonly pdfxec.exe or similar in the installation folder), select Properties, and read the File Version under the Details tab. Alternatively, check the Windows Registry uninstall key for the version string.
    Affected if The version is less than 9.5.366.0 (any version number below this in the 9.x series, or any earlier major version)
  3. Confirm U3D file handling is accessible
    Check if the application has U3D rendering enabled. This may be in Preferences under 3D/Content settings, or check associated file associations. Attempt to open a legitimate U3D file to see if the application attempts to render it.
    Affected if U3D file parsing is enabled and the application will open/render U3D content when presented (even without explicit user selection)
  4. Verify user workflow includes opening files from untrusted sources
    Review whether users typically open PDF files from external or untrusted sources, or browse web content that could contain embedded U3D objects.
    Affected if Users open PDF files from email attachments, downloads, or web sources without prior validation

You are affected if PDF-XChange Editor is installed with a version below 9.5.366.0 and users can open or preview files containing U3D content.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 9.5.366.0 or later
Fixed in 9.5.366.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch when available. Until then, instruct users to avoid opening untrusted U3D files or visiting untrusted webpages, and consider disabling U3D rendering if the software supports it.

Recommended fix High confidence

9.5.366.0

  1. 1. Visit the official PDF-XChange Editor download page at www.tracker-software.com
  2. 2. Navigate to the downloads section for PDF-XChange Editor
  3. 3. Download the latest version (9.5.366.0 or higher) of PDF-XChange Editor
  4. 4. Uninstall the current version of PDF-XChange Editor if installed
  5. 5. Install the newly downloaded version 9.5.366.0 or later
  6. 6. Restart the application if it was running during the update
  7. 7. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds 9.5.366.0

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Pdf Xchange Editor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,200
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-41152 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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