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Pdf Xchange EditorApplication · Pdf Xchange

CVE-2022-42384

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.5.366.0 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 disclose sensitive information 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 in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-18653.

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. The parser fails to properly validate buffer bounds when processing crafted U3D data, allowing a read past the end of an allocated buffer. While user interaction is required, this information disclosure can be chained with other vulnerabilities to achieve arbitrary code execution.

MitigationRestrict or disable U3D file handling in PDF-XChange Editor until an official patch is available. Users should avoid opening U3D files from untrusted sources.

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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. Confirm PDF-XChange Editor is installed
    Check for the application in Program Files (typically C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange Editor or C:\Program Files (x86)\PDF-XChange Editor) or search for 'PDF-XChange Editor' in the Windows Start menu
    Affected if PDF-XChange Editor is present on the system
  2. Identify the installed version
    Right-click the PDF-XChange Editor executable (pdfxcview.exe or PDFXEdit.exe), select Properties, and view the File Version on the Details tab. Alternatively, open the application and go to Help > About to display the version number
    Affected if The displayed version is lower than 9.5.366.0
  3. Determine if U3D file handling is enabled
    Open PDF-XChange Editor, navigate to File > Preferences > Security (or Options > Security in older versions). Look for settings related to U3D, 3D content, or multimedia file handling. Check if these are set to allow or prompt rather than disabled
    Affected if U3D/3D content handling is enabled or set to allow automatic processing of U3D files
  4. Inspect recent PDF files for embedded U3D content
    Open any recently viewed or downloaded PDF files in PDF-XChange Editor. Use File > Properties > Content or search for 'U3D' in the document structure to see if any PDFs contain embedded U3D objects
    Affected if PDFs with embedded U3D content have been opened in the application

A user is affected if PDF-XChange Editor version 9.5.366.0 or higher is not installed AND U3D file handling is enabled, allowing specially crafted U3D files to trigger an out-of-bounds read when opened.

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

Restrict or disable U3D file handling in PDF-XChange Editor until an official patch is available. Users should avoid opening U3D files from untrusted sources.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

9.5.366.0 or later

  1. Check the current installed version of PDF-XChange Editor via Help > About
  2. Navigate to the official PDF-XChange website (www.tracker-software.com) and locate the download page for PDF-XChange Editor
  3. Download version 9.5.366.0 or later from the official source
  4. Close any running instances of PDF-XChange Editor
  5. Run the installer and follow the prompts to upgrade
  6. Verify the installed version is 9.5.366.0 or higher via Help > About after installation

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

Fix this in Pdf Xchange Editor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2022-42384 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