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Pdf ToolsApplication · Pdf Xchange

CVE-2023-27348

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-03
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
PDF-XChange Editor TIF File Parsing Use-After-Free Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. 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 TIF files. The issue results from the lack of validating the existence of an object prior to performing operations on the object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-19108.

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

A Use-After-Free vulnerability in PDF-XChange Editor's TIF file parser allows remote code execution. The flaw stems from the application failing to validate object existence before performing operations on it, leading to use-after-free conditions when parsing malformed TIF files. Successful exploitation requires user interaction (opening a malicious TIF file), and code executes in the context of the current process.

MitigationApply the vendor patch from PDF-XChange Editor to address this vulnerability. Until patched, instruct users to avoid opening untrusted TIF files from unknown sources.

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 ToolsApplication
Affected:= 9.4.364.0
Pdf Xchange EditorApplication
Affected:= 9.4.364.0

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. Identify PDF-XChange Editor installation
    Check for PDF-XChange Editor in the system: Look in Program Files for 'PDF-XChange Editor' folder, or check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Tracker Software Products or HKCU\SOFTWARE\Tracker Software Products
    Affected if PDF-XChange Editor version 9.4.364.0 is installed on the system
  2. Identify PDF-XChange Pdf Tools installation
    Check for PDF-XChange Pdf Tools in the system: Look in Program Files for 'PDF-XChange Pdf Tools' folder, or check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Tracker Software Products or HKCU\SOFTWARE\Tracker Software Products
    Affected if Pdf Xchange Pdf Tools version 9.4.364.0 is installed on the system
  3. Retrieve installed version of PDF-XChange Editor
    Launch PDF-XChange Editor, go to Help > About, or right-click the executable and view Properties > Details to see the File Version. The affected version is 9.4.364.0
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 9.4.364.0
  4. Confirm TIF file handling capability is present
    Verify the application can process TIF files by checking if the TIF parser module exists: look for TIF-related DLLs in the application directory (e.g., TIFFFilter.dll, CXTIFF.dll) or attempt to open a TIF file in the application
    Affected if The application includes TIF file processing capability and the version is 9.4.364.0

The system is affected only if PDF-XChange Editor or PDF-XChange Pdf Tools version 9.4.364.0 is installed with TIF file handling capability enabled, and a user opens a malicious TIF 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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor patch from PDF-XChange Editor to address this vulnerability. Until patched, instruct users to avoid opening untrusted TIF files from unknown sources.

Fix this in Pdf Tools Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,970
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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-2023-27348 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