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Pdf Xchange EditorApplication · Pdf Xchange

CVE-2022-42400

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 PDF files. Crafted data in a PDF file can trigger a write past the end of an allocated buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-18328.

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

A buffer overflow vulnerability in PDF-XChange Editor's PDF parsing allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a specially crafted PDF file. The flaw triggers a write past the end of an allocated buffer during PDF parsing, enabling code execution in the context of the current user process.

MitigationUpdate PDF-XChange Editor to the latest patched version. Until then, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and consider disabling PDF previewing in mail clients or browsers.

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
    Check for the application in the Windows Start Menu, Program Files folder, or look for the executable 'PDFXEdit.exe' in typical installation paths like C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange Editor or C:\Program Files (x86)\PDF-XChange Editor
    Affected if The application is present on the system
  2. Locate the PDF-XChange Editor executable
    Find the file PDFXEdit.exe. Typical paths include C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange Editor\PDFXEdit.exe or C:\Program Files (x86)\PDF-XChange Editor\PDFXEdit.exe. Right-click the file and select Properties, then look at the Details tab
    Affected if The executable exists on the system
  3. Determine the installed version number
    In the file Properties Details tab, read the Product Version field. Alternatively, open the application, go to Help > About PDF-XChange Editor to see the exact version number
    Affected if A version number is displayed that is lower than 9.5.366.0
  4. Compare version against affected range
    Take the installed version number (e.g., 9.5.365.0) and compare it numerically to 9.5.366.0. Any version below 9.5.366.0 is affected
    Affected if The installed version is less than 9.5.366.0

The system is affected if PDF-XChange Editor is installed with a version lower than 9.5.366.0, as the buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the PDF parsing functionality of those versions.

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

Update PDF-XChange Editor to the latest patched version. Until then, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and consider disabling PDF previewing in mail clients or browsers.

Recommended fix High confidence

9.5.366.0 or later

  1. Navigate to the official PDF-XChange website (www.tracker-software.com) and download PDF-XChange Editor version 9.5.366.0 or later
  2. Close any running instances of PDF-XChange Editor
  3. Install the downloaded update following the vendor's installation prompts
  4. Launch PDF-XChange Editor and verify the version is 9.5.366.0 or higher (Help > About)

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
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
Get the upgrade done

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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-2022-42400 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