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Pdf Xchange EditorApplication · Pdf Xchange

CVE-2022-42402

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 an embedded U3D object can trigger a read 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-18632.

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 a buffer over-read vulnerability in PDF-XChange Editor's PDF parser. The flaw exists in the parsing of U3D (Universal 3D) objects embedded within PDF files, where crafted data can trigger a read past the end of an allocated buffer, allowing remote code execution in the context of the current process.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch or update PDF-XChange Editor to the latest version. Avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources and maintain up-to-date endpoint protection.

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 installed programs list: Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName' in PowerShell to list installed software
    Affected if PDF-XChange Editor appears in the installed programs list
  2. Find the installed version of PDF-XChange Editor
    Open PDF-XChange Editor and go to Help > About, or right-click the executable in the installation directory and select Properties > Details to view the File Version
    Affected if The version displayed is less than 9.5.366.0
  3. Identify the executable path for version verification
    Locate the PDF-XChange Editor executable (pdfxcview.exe or similar) in the installation directory, typically under C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange or C:\Program Files (x86)\PDF-Xchange, right-click and view Properties > Details
    Affected if The file version shown is below 9.5.366.0
  4. Assess U3D object exposure
    Determine if the system regularly opens PDF files from external or untrusted sources, as the vulnerability triggers specifically when parsing U3D (Universal 3D) objects embedded within PDF documents
    Affected if Users open PDF files from unknown or untrusted sources on a vulnerable version

A system is affected if PDF-XChange Editor is installed with a version lower than 9.5.366.0 and users open PDF files containing crafted U3D objects.

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 PDF-XChange Editor to the latest version. Avoid opening untrusted PDF files from unknown sources and maintain up-to-date endpoint protection.

Recommended fix High confidence

9.5.366.0 or later

  1. Check current PDF-XChange Editor version via Help > About
  2. Navigate to www.tracker-software.com and download version 9.5.366.0 or later
  3. Install the updated version over the existing installation
  4. Verify the version update was successful via Help > About
Caveat Security patch with no expected breaking changes; standard PDF functionality should be preserved

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
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

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-2022-42402 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