dbcve.org
Pdf Xchange EditorApplication · Pdf Xchange

CVE-2022-42393

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-18662.

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 (Universal 3D) file parser. Attackers craft malicious U3D data within PDF files that causes the parser to read beyond allocated buffer boundaries, leaking sensitive memory contents. While classified as information disclosure (CVSS 5.5), the vendor notes it can be chained with other flaws for code execution.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch or update to PDF-XChange Editor. Until then, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and disable U3D content rendering if the application supports such options.

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
    Search for the application in the system Program Files directory, or check the Windows registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Tracker Software or HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Tracker Software for PDF-XChange Editor entries.
    Affected if The application is installed on the system.
  2. Identify the installed version
    Right-click on the PDF-XChange Editor executable (PDFXEdit.exe), select Properties, and view the Details tab for the Product Version. Alternatively, launch the application and navigate to Help > About to view the version number.
    Affected if The version displayed is less than 9.5.366.0.
  3. Verify U3D parsing capability is present
    Open PDF-XChange Editor and attempt to insert or open a PDF containing 3D content (U3D). Check if the application parses or renders 3D objects without error. The U3D parser is built into the application and cannot be disabled through standard settings.
    Affected if The application successfully opens or renders U3D/3D content within PDF files.
  4. Assess exposure to untrusted PDF files
    Review the system for PDF files downloaded from the internet or received via email from unknown senders. Check browser download folders and email attachments for potentially untrusted PDF files.
    Affected if PDF files from untrusted or unknown sources are present on the system and could be opened with PDF-XChange Editor.

You are affected if PDF-XChange Editor version 9.5.366.0 or higher is not installed and the application can process U3D content within PDF 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

Apply the vendor-supplied patch or update to PDF-XChange Editor. Until then, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and disable U3D content rendering if the application supports such options.

Recommended fix High confidence

PDF-XChange Editor version 9.5.366.0 or later

  1. 1. Open PDF-XChange Editor on the target system
  2. 2. Navigate to Help > About PDF-XChange Editor to verify the current version
  3. 3. If the version is below 9.5.366.0, download the latest version from the official vendor website (www.tracker-software.com)
  4. 4. Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the upgrade
  5. 5. After installation, verify 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
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,210
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,936.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-42393 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2022-42393 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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