CVE-2023-39491
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 · uneditedPDF-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-19638.
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 use-after-free vulnerability exists in PDF-XChange Editor's TIF file parsing logic. The parser fails to validate the existence of an object before performing operations on it, allowing an attacker to reuse freed memory and achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process via a specially crafted 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= 9.5.366.0= 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 installationNavigate to Program Files and look for 'PDF-XChange Editor' folder, or check Start Menu for the application entry. Also check Add/Remove Programs for PDF-XChange Editor or PDF-XChange PDF Tools.Affected if PDF-XChange Editor or PDF-XChange PDF Tools is present on the system
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Retrieve installed version numberRight-click the PDF-XChange Editor executable (pdfxcview.exe or similar) in Program Files, select Properties, then view the Details tab for Product Version. Alternatively, open the application and go to Help > About to view the version.Affected if Version displayed is 9.5.366.0 exactly
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Check for TIF file associationRight-click any .tif file in Windows Explorer, select Open With > Choose Default Program, and see if PDF-XChange Editor is listed as an option. Also check File > Open dialog within the application to confirm TIF files are viewable.Affected if TIF file types are associated with or openable by PDF-XChange Editor
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Inspect installed PDF tools version via registryOpen Registry Editor and check HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Tracker Software Products or HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Tracker Software Products for entries containing PDF-XChange and note the installed version value.Affected if Registry shows version 9.5.366.0 for PDF-XChange components
The environment is affected if PDF-XChange Editor or PDF-XChange PDF Tools version 9.5.366.0 is installed and the application can open or 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.
From vendor dataRestrict opening of untrusted TIF files and update PDF-XChange Editor to the vendor-patched version when available. Deploy email/attachment filtering to block malicious TIF attachments reaching users.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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 $4,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-39491 — 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-2023-39491 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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