CVE-2022-42421
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-18703.
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 · moderate confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability exists in PDF-XChange Editor's TIF file parsing functionality. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by crafting a malicious TIF file that triggers a write past the end of an allocated buffer. Exploitation requires user interaction, such as opening a malicious 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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Confirm PDF-XChange Editor is installedCheck Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for an entry named 'PDF-XChange Editor' or look in Program Files for the PDF-XChange Editor folderAffected if The software is not found in either location, then the user is not affected by this vulnerability
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Identify the installed version numberOpen PDF-XChange Editor, go to Help > About, or right-click the executable in Program Files and select Properties > Details to view the File VersionAffected if The displayed version number is missing or cannot be determined
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Compare against vulnerable version rangeCompare your installed version to the affected range: any version lower than 9.5.366.0 is vulnerableAffected if The installed version is less than 9.5.366.0 (for example, 9.4.358.0, 9.3.352.0, etc.)
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Verify TIF file handling capabilityAttempt to open a TIF file in PDF-XChange Editor or check File > Open dialog for TIF as a supported formatAffected if TIF files can be opened and the installed version is below 9.5.366.0
The user is affected if PDF-XChange Editor is installed with a version lower than 9.5.366.0 and the application can process 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
Users should avoid opening untrusted TIF files from unknown sources. The vendor should release a patch that adds proper bounds checking in the TIF parsing code to prevent buffer overflows.
PDF-XChange Editor 9.5.366.0 or later
- Download PDF-XChange Editor version 9.5.366.0 or later from the official vendor website (www.tracker-software.com)
- Ensure you download from the official source to avoid compromised installers
- Close any running instances of PDF-XChange Editor
- Run the installer and follow the prompts to upgrade
- After installation, verify the version by going to Help > About to confirm you are on 9.5.366.0 or later
- Exercise caution when opening TIF files from untrusted sources, as the vulnerability still exists in older malicious files that could be re-used
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-42421 — 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-2022-42421 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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