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Pdf ToolsApplication · Pdf Xchange

CVE-2023-40470

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 JP2 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 JP2 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-20622.

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

This is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in PDF-XChange Editor's JP2 (JPEG 2000) file parser. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of user-supplied data during JP2 parsing, allowing an attacker to read past the end of an allocated buffer. While primarily an information disclosure issue, the advisory notes it can be chained with other vulnerabilities to achieve code execution in the current process context.

MitigationUsers should refrain from opening untrusted JP2 files or visiting malicious pages until PDF-XChange releases and applies a security patch. Organizations may implement network-level controls or email gateway rules to block or warn on untrusted JP2 attachments as a compensating control.

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:= 9.5.367.0
Pdf Xchange EditorApplication
Affected:= 9.5.367.0

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. Identify if PDF-XChange products are installed
    Check the system for installed PDF-XChange software. Look for 'PDF-XChange Editor' or 'PDF-XChange Pdf Tools' in the list of installed programs (Control Panel > Programs and Features), or check common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange or C:\Program Files (x86)\PDF-XChange for executables like pdfxcview.exe, PDFXEdit.exe, or related files.
    Affected if Either PDF-XChange Editor or PDF-XChange Pdf Tools is present on the system
  2. Determine the installed version number
    Right-click on the main executable (such as PDFXEdit.exe or pdfxcview.exe) located in the installation folder, select Properties, and view the 'File version' field in the Details tab. Alternatively, open the application, go to Help > About to display the version information.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 9.5.367.0
  3. Confirm the JP2 parsing capability is present
    Verify that the JP2 (JPEG 2000) image parsing component is available. This is typically included by default in PDF-XChange Editor and PDF Tools installations. Attempt to open a valid PDF containing a JP2 image, or check the application's supported image formats in Help > Supported Formats.
    Affected if JP2 image parsing functionality is present and operational in the installed PDF-XChange product
  4. Check if the system processes untrusted JP2 files
    Review email gateway rules, download locations, or file sharing directories where untrusted JP2 files could be introduced. Audit browser settings or document handlers that automatically open JP2 attachments. Use file system monitoring or email filtering logs to identify recent JP2 file processing activity.
    Affected if Users can open or preview untrusted JP2 files through PDF-XChange products, creating an attack vector for this vulnerability

A user is affected if PDF-XChange Editor (= 9.5.367.0) or PDF-XChange Pdf Tools (= 9.5.367.0) is installed and the system can process untrusted JP2 files through the application's JP2 parser.

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

Users should refrain from opening untrusted JP2 files or visiting malicious pages until PDF-XChange releases and applies a security patch. Organizations may implement network-level controls or email gateway rules to block or warn on untrusted JP2 attachments as a compensating control.

Fix this in Pdf Tools Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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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-2023-40470 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