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Pdf Xchange EditorApplication · Pdf Xchange

CVE-2023-40473

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 Doc Object 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 handling of Doc objects. By performing actions in JavaScript, an attacker can trigger 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-20891.

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

PDF-XChange Editor contains an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in its handling of Doc objects. By crafting malicious JavaScript within a PDF file, an attacker can trigger a read operation past the end of an allocated object, leading to sensitive information disclosure. This vulnerability can be chained with other vulnerabilities to achieve arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply the vendor patch or update PDF-XChange Editor to the latest version. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted PDF files or visiting untrusted web pages that could deliver malicious PDF content.

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 Xchange EditorApplication
Affected:= 9.5.368.0

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
    Look for the application in the system: Check 'C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange\PDF-XChange Editor' or 'C:\Program Files (x86)\PDF-XChange\PDF-XChange Editor'. Alternatively, check the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\PDF-XChange or HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\PDF-XChange for the Editor key.
    Affected if The application is found in either location.
  2. Identify the installed version of PDF-XChange Editor
    Locate the main executable (usually pdfxcview.exe or PDFXEdit.exe) in the installation directory. Right-click the file, select Properties, and check the Details tab for the Product version. Alternatively, run 'wmic product get name,version' or use PowerShell: Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like '*PDF-XChange*'} | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion
    Affected if The version displayed is exactly 9.5.368.0.
  3. Confirm the vulnerability scope
    This vulnerability is triggered when a malicious PDF containing crafted JavaScript is opened in PDF-XChange Editor. The vulnerability exists in the Doc object handling code when processing JavaScript within a PDF document.
    Affected if You are running version 9.5.368.0 and open PDF files that may contain embedded JavaScript code.

You are affected if PDF-XChange Editor version 9.5.368.0 is installed and you open malicious PDF files with embedded JavaScript.

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 or update PDF-XChange Editor to the latest version. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted PDF files or visiting untrusted web pages that could deliver malicious PDF content.

Fix this in Pdf Xchange Editor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
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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-2023-40473 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