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Pdf Xchange EditorApplication · Pdf Xchange

CVE-2022-42409

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 PDF files. Crafted data in a PDF 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-18315.

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 PDF parser. When processing specially crafted PDF files, the parser reads data past the end of an allocated buffer, leading to sensitive information disclosure. Although the primary impact is information disclosure, the advisory notes this can be chained with other vulnerabilities to achieve arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply the vendor patch or upgrade to a fixed version of PDF-XChange Editor. Until patched, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and implement email gateway filtering for PDF attachments.

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. Locate PDF-XChange Editor installation
    Check for PDF-XChange Editor in the program files directory (typically C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange\PDF-XChange Editor or C:\Program Files (x86)\PDF-XChange\PDF-XChange Editor) or look for the application in the Windows Start Menu
    Affected if The application is installed on the system
  2. Determine installed version number
    Open PDF-XChange Editor, then navigate to Help > About, or right-click the application shortcut and select Properties to view the version information. Alternatively, locate the executable (PDFXEdit.exe) in the installation folder, right-click it, select Properties, and check the Details tab for the Product Version
    Affected if The version displayed is less than 9.5.366.0 (for example, 9.5.365.0, 9.4.x.x, or earlier)
  3. Confirm PDF parsing is in use
    The vulnerability resides in the PDF parser component. This parser is automatically invoked when opening any PDF file in PDF-XChange Editor
    Affected if Users open or process PDF files using PDF-XChange Editor

A user is affected if PDF-XChange Editor is installed with a version lower than 9.5.366.0 and users open PDF files with the application, as the out-of-bounds read occurs in the PDF parser when processing the file.

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 upgrade to a fixed version of PDF-XChange Editor. Until patched, avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources and implement email gateway filtering for PDF attachments.

Recommended fix High confidence

PDF-XChange Editor version 9.5.366.0 or later

  1. 1. Navigate to the official PDF-XChange Editor download page at www.tracker-software.com
  2. 2. Download the latest version of PDF-XChange Editor (ensure version is 9.5.366.0 or higher)
  3. 3. Close all instances of PDF-XChange Editor if currently running
  4. 4. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the upgrade
  5. 5. After installation, verify the version by going to Help > About PDF-XChange Editor

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
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
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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-2022-42409 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