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Pdf Xchange EditorApplication · Pdf Xchange

CVE-2022-42392

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-18661.

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 · moderate confidence

A buffer over-read vulnerability in PDF-XChange Editor's U3D file parser allows remote attackers to read beyond allocated buffer boundaries via a specially crafted U3D file. The flaw requires user interaction (opening a malicious file or visiting a malicious page) and while initially an information disclosure, it can be chained with other vulnerabilities for arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUsers should avoid opening untrusted U3D files or visiting untrusted websites until an official patch is released. Organizations may consider disabling U3D file handling or implementing application sandboxing as a defense-in-depth measure.

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. Verify PDF-XChange Editor is installed
    Check for the application in Program Files (typically C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\PDF-XChange\) or check Start Menu for PDF-XChange Editor
    Affected if The application is present on the system
  2. Determine installed version number
    Right-click on PDF-XChange Editor.exe, select Properties, then check the Details tab for the Product Version field. Alternatively, open the application and go to Help > About
    Affected if Version is missing, not displayed, or cannot be determined from the application
  3. Compare version to affected range
    If version is found, compare it numerically to 9.5.366.0
    Affected if Installed version is less than 9.5.366.0 (e.g., 9.5.365.0, 9.4.x, 8.x, etc.)
  4. Confirm U3D file handling is possible
    Attempt to open a U3D file or check if the application registers a handler for .u3d file extension (check File > Open supported formats or registry under HKCR\.u3d)
    Affected if U3D files can be opened or processed by the application

A system is affected if PDF-XChange Editor is installed with a version lower than 9.5.366.0 and can process U3D files.

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

Users should avoid opening untrusted U3D files or visiting untrusted websites until an official patch is released. Organizations may consider disabling U3D file handling or implementing application sandboxing as a defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix High confidence

PDF-XChange Editor 9.5.366.0 or later

  1. Check current PDF-XChange Editor version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About
  2. Download PDF-XChange Editor version 9.5.366.0 or later from the official vendor website (www.tracker-software.com)
  3. Install the updated version by running the installer and following the prompts
  4. Verify the installation by checking Help > About to confirm the version is 9.5.366.0 or higher

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
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
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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-2022-42392 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