CVE-2022-42416
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 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 TIF files. Crafted data in a TIF 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-18673.
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 confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability exists in PDF-XChange Editor's TIF file parser. The vulnerability allows remote code execution through a specially crafted TIF file that triggers a write operation past the end of an allocated buffer. Exploitation requires user interaction, such as opening a malicious TIF file.
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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify PDF-XChange Editor is installedCheck for the application in the system: Look for 'PDF-XChange Editor' in Programs and Features (Windows), or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like "*PDF-XChange*"}' in PowerShell. Also check common install paths such as C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange Editor or C:\Program Files (x86)\PDF-XChange Editor.Affected if Application is found on the system
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Determine installed version numberRight-click the executable (typically pdfxcview.exe in the installation directory), select Properties, and view the File Version on the Details tab. Alternatively, run the editor and go to Help > About to display the version information.Affected if Version is displayed and can be compared
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Compare version against affected rangeCompare the installed version number to 9.5.366.0. Any version lower than 9.5.366.0 falls within the affected range.Affected if Installed version is lower than 9.5.366.0
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Assess TIF file handling exposureReview whether the editor's TIF parsing functionality is accessible to users. This could involve checking if users have permission to open or import TIF files, or monitoring for recent .tif file associations with the application.Affected if Users can open or process TIF files with the affected application version
User is affected if PDF-XChange Editor version is below 9.5.366.0 and users in the environment can open TIF 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 the vendor patch when available. Until then, enforce policies prohibiting users from opening untrusted TIF files and consider endpoint detection rules for PDF-XChange Editor processes spawning from unusual sources.
9.5.366.0 or later
- Identify the current version of PDF-XChange Editor installed on the system
- Navigate to the official PDF-XChange website at www.tracker-software.com to download the latest version
- Download and install PDF-XChange Editor version 9.5.366.0 or later
- Verify the installation was successful by checking the installed version number
- Ensure all users restart the application if it was running during the update
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-42416 — 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-2022-42416 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
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- 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
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