CVE-2022-42386
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 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-18655.
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 buffer over-read vulnerability in PDF-XChange Editor's U3D file parser allows remote attackers to read beyond allocated buffer boundaries by crafting malicious U3D files. Exploitation requires user interaction (opening a malicious file or visiting a malicious page), and the vulnerability can be chained with other flaws to achieve arbitrary code execution.
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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check PDF-XChange Editor versionOpen the application and go to Help > About, or right-click the executable (PDFXCview.exe or PDFXEdit.exe) in the program folder and select Properties > Details to view the Product VersionAffected if version is less than 9.5.366.0
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Verify U3D file type associationCheck if .u3d files are associated with or openable by PDF-XChange Editor. Attempt to open a U3D file or check File > Open dialog for U3D file supportAffected if U3D files can be opened or previewed in the application
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Check for U3D content in recent PDF filesInspect recently opened PDF files for embedded U3D 3D objects. Open a PDF in the editor and check the navigation pane for 3D annotations or use the Content panel to search for U3D streamsAffected if PDF files containing U3D content have been opened in the application
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Review file handler settingsNavigate to the application's preferences or options (Edit > Options or File > Preferences) and look for settings related to 3D content, U3D parsing, or multimedia file handlingAffected if U3D or 3D content parsing is enabled in the application settings
You are affected if PDF-XChange Editor version is below 9.5.366.0 and the application has U3D file handling enabled or has processed U3D-containing PDFs.
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
Restrict or disable U3D file handling in PDF-XChange Editor, apply vendor patches when available, and educate users to avoid opening untrusted PDF files.
9.5.366.0 or later
- 1. Download the latest version of PDF-XChange Editor from the official vendor website (www.tracker-software.com)
- 2. Install the update to version 9.5.366.0 or later
- 3. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds 9.5.366.0
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-42386 — 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-2022-42386 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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