Pdf ToolsApplication · Pdf Xchange

CVE-2023-39504

MEDIUM · 5.5 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 →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 OXPS File Parsing Out-Of-Bounds Read Information Disclosure Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to disclose sensitive information 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 OXPS files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a read past the end of an allocated object. An attacker can leverage this in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-20037.

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

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in PDF-XChange Editor's OXPS file parser due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data during parsing. The flaw allows reading past the end of an allocated buffer, potentially exposing sensitive memory contents. This information disclosure can be chained with other vulnerabilities to achieve arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply vendor patch for CVE-2023-39504; until then, avoid opening OXPS files from untrusted sources and disable file preview features in the editor.

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:= 9.5.366.0
Pdf Xchange EditorApplication
Affected:= 9.5.366.0

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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. Check if PDF-XChange Editor is installed
    Open Windows Control Panel, go to Programs and Features, or check Program Files folder for 'PDF-XChange Editor' directory
    Affected if The application is present on the system
  2. Determine PDF-XChange Editor version
    Right-click the PDF-XChange Editor executable, select Properties, and check the Version tab, or launch the editor and go to Help > About
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 9.5.366.0
  3. Check for PDF-XChange PDF Tools installation
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, look for 'PDF-XChange PDF Tools' entry, or check Program Files for PDF-XChange PDF Tools folder
    Affected if PDF-XChange PDF Tools is installed alongside the editor
  4. Verify PDF-XChange PDF Tools version
    Right-click the PDFTools.exe or related executable in the PDF-XChange PDF Tools installation folder, select Properties, and check the Version information
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 9.5.366.0
  5. Identify OXPS file handling usage
    Check if the application has been used to open .oxps files, or if file associations exist for OXPS file type pointing to PDF-XChange products
    Affected if OXPS file parsing functionality is enabled or has been used on the system

You are affected if either PDF-XChange Editor or PDF-XChange PDF Tools version 9.5.366.0 is installed and OXPS file handling is enabled or has been used.

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 vendor patch for CVE-2023-39504; until then, avoid opening OXPS files from untrusted sources and disable file preview features in the editor.

Fix this in Pdf Tools Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
Get help mitigating

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 locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-39504 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-39504 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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