CVE-2023-39505
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 Net.HTTP.requests Exposed Dangerous Function 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 Net.HTTP.requests method. The issue results from the exposure of a dangerous function. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to disclose information in the context of the current user. Was ZDI-CAN-20211.
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 confidencePDF-XChange Editor contains a vulnerability in its Net.HTTP.requests component where a dangerous function is exposed, allowing an attacker to craft a malicious PDF file that, when opened by a user, can disclose sensitive information from the user's current session context.
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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if PDF-XChange products are installedCheck Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for entries containing 'PDF-XChange' or 'Pdf Xchange', or inspect common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange or C:\Program Files (x86)\PDF-XChangeAffected if Either PDF-XChange Editor or PDF-XChange Pdf Tools is present on the system
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Determine the installed version of PDF-XChange EditorLocate the executable (PDFXCview.exe or PDFXEdit.exe) in the installation directory, right-click and select Properties, then inspect the File Version field on the Details tab; alternatively, launch the application and navigate to Help > AboutAffected if The reported version equals exactly 9.5.366.0
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Determine the installed version of PDF-XChange Pdf ToolsLocate the installed application via Start Menu or desktop shortcut, access the application interface, and locate the version information within the Help or About section; or check the version of the primary executable in the installation folderAffected if The reported version equals exactly 9.5.366.0
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Verify if the Net.HTTP.requests feature is accessibleOpen the application and confirm the Net.HTTP functionality is available; this is a built-in component that processes network requests from PDF files - no additional configuration is required for the vulnerability to exist in the affected versionAffected if The application runs and processes PDF files, as the vulnerable Net.HTTP.requests component is present by default in version 9.5.366.0
A user is affected if PDF-XChange Editor or PDF-XChange Pdf Tools version 9.5.366.0 is installed and can be used to open PDF files, since the vulnerable Net.HTTP.requests component is enabled by default in this specific version.
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 PDF files from untrusted sources and avoid visiting suspicious webpages; organizations should assess whether PDF-XChange Editor is required and consider alternatives with stronger security track records until an official patch is applied.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-39505 — 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-2023-39505 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data