CVE-2022-42397
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 XPS files. Crafted data in an XPS 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-18279.
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 confidenceOut-of-bounds read vulnerability in PDF-XChange Editor's XPS file parser. The parser reads past the end of an allocated buffer when processing malicious XPS files, leading to sensitive information disclosure. While user interaction is required (opening a malicious file), this can be chained with other vulnerabilities for 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.
-
Verify PDF-XChange Editor is installedCheck for the application in the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\PDF-XChange or HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\PDF-XChange, or look in Program Files for PDF-XChange Editor folderAffected if The application is found on the system
-
Determine installed version numberCheck the version value in the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\PDF-XChange\PDFXEdit\Settings\App\Vers or right-click on PDFXEditor.exe in Program Files and view Properties > DetailsAffected if The displayed version is lower than 9.5.366.0 or the version field cannot be read or is missing
-
Confirm XPS file handler is activeCheck if the XPS viewer component is registered: look for XPS parsing related DLLs in the PDF-XChange Editor installation directory, or attempt to open a benign XPS file with the application to verify parsing functionality worksAffected if XPS file parsing functionality is available and the version check shows less than 9.5.366.0
-
Check for recent XPS file processing activityReview Windows Event Viewer Application logs or PDF-XChange Editor activity logs (if enabled) for recent XPS file open operations, or check for XPS files in recent document historyAffected if Users have opened XPS files and the installed version is below 9.5.366.0
The system is affected if PDF-XChange Editor is installed with a version lower than 9.5.366.0 and users can open or preview XPS files with the application.
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
Apply vendor patch from PDF-XChange Editor when available. Until then, avoid opening untrusted XPS files from unknown sources and disable XPS preview handlers if possible.
9.5.366.0 or later
- 1. Check current version: Open PDF-XChange Editor, go to Help > About to verify the installed version.
- 2. Navigate to the official PDF-XChange download page at www.tracker-software.com.
- 3. Download the latest version (9.5.366.0 or later) of PDF-XChange Editor.
- 4. Close PDF-XChange Editor if currently running.
- 5. Install the downloaded update by running the installer and following the prompts.
- 6. Verify the upgrade: Open PDF-XChange Editor and confirm the version shows 9.5.366.0 or later via Help > About.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $2,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-42397 — 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-2022-42397 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
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.
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.
- 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