CVE-2023-42054
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 U3D 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 U3D 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-20927.
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 confidencePDF-XChange Editor contains an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in its U3D file parser. The lack of proper validation of user-supplied data allows reading past the end of an allocated object, resulting in information disclosure. This can be chained with other vulnerabilities for arbitrary code execution.
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= 9.5.368.0= 9.5.368.0CVSS 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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Check if PDF-XChange Editor is installedOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or check C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange for the application folderAffected if PDF-XChange Editor is installed on the system
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Verify the installed version of PDF-XChange EditorRight-click the PDF-XChange Editor executable, select Properties, and check the File Version on the Details tab, or run: wmic product where "name like 'PDF-XChange%'" get name,versionAffected if The version displayed is exactly 9.5.368.0
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Check if PDF-XChange PDF Tools is installed separatelyLook for PDF-XChange PDF Tools in Programs and Features, or check C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange PDF ToolsAffected if PDF-XChange PDF Tools version 9.5.368.0 is installed
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Determine if U3D content parsing is possibleThe vulnerability is in the U3D (Universal 3D) file parser. U3D is a 3D model format embedded in PDFs. Check if the application processes PDF files with embedded 3D content - this is typically triggered when opening a PDF that contains U3D objectsAffected if A PDF file with embedded U3D 3D objects is opened with version 9.5.368.0
You are affected if PDF-XChange Editor or PDF-XChange PDF Tools version 9.5.368.0 is installed and you open PDF files containing U3D 3D content.
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 dataAvoid opening untrusted PDF files or wait for the vendor patch; apply the update once released.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,568.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-42054 — 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-2023-42054 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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