CVE-2022-42380
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-18649.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow in PDF-XChange Editor's U3D file parser allows remote code execution. Crafted U3D files trigger an out-of-bounds write past the end of an allocated buffer, enabling attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. User interaction (opening malicious file) is required.
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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Check PDF-XChange Editor installed versionOpen PDF-XChange Editor, go to Help > About, or check Add/Remove Programs to find the exact version number installedAffected if Version is lower than 9.5.366.0
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Verify U3D file handling capabilityAttempt to open a U3D file or check File > Open dialog for U3D file type support (.u3d extension)Affected if U3D files can be opened or imported in the application
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Confirm U3D parser is activeCheck if PDF-XChange Editor can render PDFs containing embedded U3D 3D contentAffected if The application processes or displays 3D U3D content within PDF files
If PDF-XChange Editor version is below 9.5.366.0 AND the application can open or process U3D files, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.
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 vendor patch or update PDF-XChange Editor to latest version; avoid opening untrusted U3D files from unknown sources.
PDF-XChange Editor 9.5.366.0 or later
- 1. Open PDF-XChange Editor
- 2. Navigate to Help > About PDF-XChange Editor
- 3. Note the current version number
- 4. Visit www.tracker-software.com and download version 9.5.366.0 or later
- 5. Close all instances of PDF-XChange Editor
- 6. Run the installer for the updated version
- 7. Follow the installation wizard prompts to complete the update
- 8. After installation, verify the version in Help > About shows 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-2022-42380 — 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-2022-42380 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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