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Pdf ToolsApplication · Pdf Xchange

CVE-2023-42079

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 J2K File Parsing Uninitialized Variable 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 J2K files. The issue results from the lack of proper initialization of memory prior to accessing it. An attacker can leverage this in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-21851.

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 uninitialized variable vulnerability in its J2K file parsing logic. The lack of proper memory initialization before access leads to information disclosure. While this vulnerability alone discloses sensitive information, the advisory notes it can be chained with other vulnerabilities to achieve arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply the vendor patch by updating PDF-XChange Editor to the latest version. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted J2K files or visiting malicious pages that deliver such 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 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
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
    On Windows, check for the presence of PDF-XChange Editor in Program Files (typically C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange 10 Editor or similar) or check the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Tracker Software Products\PDFXEdit\v10
    Affected if The product is found at the expected installation path or registry key exists
  2. Determine PDF-XChange Editor version
    Open PDF-XChange Editor, go to Help > About, or locate the main executable (PDFXEdit.exe), right-click and select Properties > Details to view the File Version
    Affected if Version is exactly 10.0.1.371
  3. Check if PDF-XChange PDF Tools is installed
    On Windows, check for PDF Tools in Program Files (typically C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange 10 or similar) or check the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Tracker Software Products\PDFXTools\v10
    Affected if The product is found at the expected installation path or registry key exists
  4. Determine PDF-XChange PDF Tools version
    Locate the main PDF Tools executable (PDFXTools.exe), right-click and select Properties > Details to view the File Version, or run the executable with a version flag if available
    Affected if Version is exactly 10.0.1.371

If either PDF-XChange Editor or PDF-XChange PDF Tools version equals 10.0.1.371, the environment is affected when parsing J2K files.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor patch by updating PDF-XChange Editor to the latest version. Until patched, avoid opening untrusted J2K files or visiting malicious pages that deliver such content.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest stable release of PDF-XChange Editor (version > 10.0.1.371)

  1. 1. Visit the official Tracker Software website at www.tracker-software.com to download the latest version of PDF-XChange Editor
  2. 2. Download the most recent stable release of PDF-XChange Editor
  3. 3. Uninstall the current version (10.0.1.371) or install the new version over the existing installation
  4. 4. Verify the installation by checking the application version in Help > About
  5. 5. Avoid opening untrusted J2K files or PDF documents from unknown sources as a precautionary measure
Caveat Minor version upgrade typically has low risk; review release notes for any feature changes

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Pdf Tools Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2023-42079 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