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Pdf Xchange EditorApplication · Pdf Xchange

CVE-2022-42396

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.5.366.0 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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 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 XPS files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of a user-supplied value prior to dereferencing it as a pointer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-18278.

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

PDF-XChange Editor contains a vulnerability in its XPS file parser where a user-supplied value is not properly validated before being dereferenced as a pointer. This allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process via malicious XPS files or pages requiring user interaction.

MitigationApply the vendor patch or update to a patched version of PDF-XChange Editor when available; until then, avoid opening untrusted XPS files and restrict user privileges to limit impact of potential exploitation.

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm PDF-XChange Editor is installed
    Look for PDF-XChange Editor in your installed programs list, or search for the application executable (pdfxcedit.exe) in common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\PDF-XChange\
    Affected if The application is present on the system
  2. Identify the installed version
    Right-click the PDF-XChange Editor executable, select Properties, and view the File Version details on the Version tab; alternatively, open the application and navigate to Help > About to see the exact version number
    Affected if The version number is below 9.5.366.0
  3. Check for XPS file handling capability
    Open PDF-XChange Editor and attempt to open an XPS file, or check the file association settings to see if XPS files are associated with the application
    Affected if XPS files can be opened or processed by the application
  4. Inspect for recent XPS files in the environment
    Search the file system for .xps files, particularly in download folders, shared directories, or recent document locations
    Affected if XPS files exist and could potentially be opened by the vulnerable application
  5. Determine if XPS parser module is active
    Review the application settings or plugins to confirm whether XPS import/parsing functionality is enabled or loaded
    Affected if XPS parsing functionality is available or enabled in the application

You are affected if PDF-XChange Editor is installed with a version lower than 9.5.366.0 and the application can process XPS 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 patch or update to a patched version of PDF-XChange Editor when available; until then, avoid opening untrusted XPS files and restrict user privileges to limit impact of potential exploitation.

Recommended fix High confidence

PDF-XChange Editor 9.5.366.0 or later

  1. 1. Check current PDF-XChange Editor version by opening the application and navigating to Help > About or checking Add/Remove Programs
  2. 2. Navigate to the official PDF-XChange website (www.tracker-software.com) to download the latest version
  3. 3. Download PDF-XChange Editor version 9.5.366.0 or later
  4. 4. Uninstall the current vulnerable version of PDF-XChange Editor
  5. 5. Install the newly downloaded fixed version (9.5.366.0 or later)
  6. 6. Verify the installation was successful by checking the version number in Help > About
Caveat Standard upgrade risks apply - verify compatibility with existing workflows and document templates after upgrading

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

Fix this in Pdf Xchange Editor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,920
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2022-42396 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