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Pdf ToolsApplication · Pdf Xchange

CVE-2023-42077

HIGH · 7.8 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 →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
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 EMF File Parsing Heap-based Buffer Overflow Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code 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 EMF files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a fixed-length heap-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-21818.

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

Heap-based buffer overflow in PDF-XChange Editor's EMF file parser due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data length before copying to a fixed-size heap buffer. This allows remote code execution in the context of the current process when a user opens a malicious EMF file.

MitigationAvoid opening untrusted EMF files in PDF-XChange Editor; apply vendor patches when available; consider running the application with reduced privileges to limit impact.

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:= 10.0.1.371
Pdf Xchange EditorApplication
Affected:= 10.0.1.371

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
High
Availability
High

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

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 > Programs and Features, or use PowerShell command: Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like '*PDF-XChange*Editor*'}
    Affected if PDF-XChange Editor appears in the installed programs list
  2. Check if PDF-XChange PDF Tools is installed
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or use PowerShell command: Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like '*PDF-XChange*Pdf*Tools*'}
    Affected if PDF-XChange PDF Tools appears in the installed programs list
  3. Determine the installed version of PDF-XChange Editor
    Right-click the PDF-XChange Editor executable, select Properties, then look at the Details tab for the File Version, or use the program's Help > About menu
    Affected if The version listed is exactly 10.0.1.371
  4. Determine the installed version of PDF-XChange PDF Tools
    Right-click the PDF-XChange PDF Tools executable or check the program entry in Programs and Features for the version, or check the application installation directory
    Affected if The version listed is exactly 10.0.1.371
  5. Identify if EMF file processing is used
    Check if the application has been used to open or process EMF (Enhanced Metafile) files, or if there are recent EMF files in the application or documents folder
    Affected if The vulnerable EMF file parser is invoked when an EMF file is opened in the affected version

A system is affected if PDF-XChange Editor or PDF-XChange PDF Tools version 10.0.1.371 is installed and a user opens a malicious EMF file with the application.

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

Avoid opening untrusted EMF files in PDF-XChange Editor; apply vendor patches when available; consider running the application with reduced privileges to limit impact.

Fix this in Pdf Tools Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,420
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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-2023-42077 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