CVE-2022-42371
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-18346.
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 heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in PDF-XChange Editor's U3D file parser. When parsing malicious U3D files, the application writes data past the end of an allocated buffer, allowing attackers to corrupt memory and execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user 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.
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Identify installed PDF-XChange Editor versionOpen PDF-XChange Editor, go to Help > About, or right-click the executable (PDFXEdit.exe) in Program Files and select Properties > Details to view the Product VersionAffected if The version number is lower than 9.5.366.0
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Locate the PDF-XChange Editor executable pathCheck Program Files folder for PDF-XChange Editor installation directory, typically C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange\PDF-XChange Editor or C:\Program Files (x86)\PDF-XChange\PDF-XChange EditorAffected if The application is installed in an accessible location and the version is vulnerable
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Verify U3D rendering capability is presentCheck for the presence of U3D-related DLLs in the application directory, such as those handling 3D content rendering; also check application settings under Edit > Preferences > Objects for U3D/3D content optionsAffected if U3D/3D content rendering is enabled or available in the application configuration
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Check for recent PDF files from untrusted sourcesReview recently opened PDF files in the application's recent files list or Windows jump lists, particularly files from unknown or untrusted senders that may contain embedded U3D contentAffected if Users have opened or may open PDF documents from untrusted sources containing malicious U3D data
A user is affected if PDF-XChange Editor version is below 9.5.366.0 and the U3D file parser feature is accessible, allowing a malicious U3D file to trigger heap overflow during parsing.
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 when available. Until then, instruct users to avoid opening untrusted U3D files or PDF documents from unknown sources, and disable U3D content rendering in the application settings if possible.
9.5.366.0 or later
- Navigate to the official PDF-XChange Editor download page at www.tracker-software.com
- Download the latest version of PDF-XChange Editor (ensure it is version 9.5.366.0 or later)
- Run the installer and complete the upgrade process
- Verify the installation by opening PDF-XChange Editor and checking the version under Help > About
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-42371 — 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-2022-42371 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data