CVE-2022-42418
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. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of a user-supplied value prior to dereferencing it as a pointer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-18677.
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 pointer dereference vulnerability in PDF-XChange Editor's TIF file parser allows remote code execution via malicious TIF files. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied values before they're used as pointers, enabling an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user process.
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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Locate PDF-XChange Editor installationNavigate to the program installation directory, typically C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange\PDF-XChange Editor or C:\Program Files (x86)\PDF-XChange\PDF-XChange Editor, and identify the main executable (pdfxedit.exe or similar)Affected if PDF-XChange Editor is installed on the system
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Determine the installed version numberRight-click the main executable, select Properties, and view the Product Version field in the Details tab. Alternatively, launch the application and go to Help > About to see the versionAffected if Unable to retrieve a version number from the executable or application
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Compare version against vulnerable rangeCheck if the installed version is less than 9.5.366.0 by comparing the Product Version stringAffected if Installed version is 9.5.365.0 or any version below 9.5.366.0
If PDF-XChange Editor is installed and the version number is below 9.5.366.0, the environment is affected by this vulnerability when opening malicious TIF files.
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
Update PDF-XChange Editor to the vendor-patched version. Avoid opening untrusted TIF files from unknown sources.
PDF-XChange Editor version 9.5.366.0 or later
- Navigate to the official PDF-XChange website at www.tracker-software.com
- Locate the downloads or support section for PDF-XChange Editor
- Download the latest version of PDF-XChange Editor (ensure version 9.5.366.0 or later)
- Close any running instances of PDF-XChange Editor
- Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the upgrade
- Verify the installed version matches or exceeds 9.5.366.0 via Help > About
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $3,072.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-42418 — 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-2022-42418 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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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
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