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Pdf ToolsApplication · Pdf Xchange

CVE-2023-42085

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-22061.

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. The vulnerability results from insufficient validation of user-supplied data length before copying into a fixed-size heap buffer. Exploitation requires a user to open a malicious EMF file, allowing arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process.

MitigationApply vendor patch when available. Until then, instruct users to avoid opening untrusted EMF files and consider disabling EMF file associations in PDF-XChange Editor.

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. Confirm PDF-XChange Editor installation
    Locate the application in Program Files (typically C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\PDF-XChange\) or check Start Menu for PDF-XChange Editor
    Affected if The application is installed on the system
  2. Identify installed version
    Right-click the PDF-XChange Editor executable, select Properties, and view the Details tab for the Product Version field; or launch the application and go to Help > About
    Affected if The installed version matches 10.0.1.371 or is an earlier version
  3. Determine if EMF file handling is enabled
    Check the application settings for file associations (File > Preferences > File Associations) or examine if .emf files are associated with PDF-XChange Editor in Windows default programs settings
    Affected if EMF files are associated or can be opened by PDF-XChange Editor
  4. Assess user exposure to untrusted EMF files
    Review whether users in the environment routinely open EMF files from external or untrusted sources, or check recent file open activity logs if available
    Affected if Users open EMF files from untrusted or unknown sources

A user is affected if PDF-XChange Editor version 10.0.1.371 (or earlier) is installed and users can open or are likely to open malicious EMF 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 vendor patch when available. Until then, instruct users to avoid opening untrusted EMF files and consider disabling EMF file associations in PDF-XChange Editor.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

PDF-XChange Editor latest version (check https://www.tracker-software.com for current release)

  1. 1. Navigate to the official PDF-XChange download page at https://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-editor
  2. 2. Download the latest version of PDF-XChange Editor
  3. 3. Uninstall the current version (10.0.1.371) from the system
  4. 4. Install the newly downloaded latest version
  5. 5. Restart the application if it was running during installation
  6. 6. Verify the installed version matches the latest available release
Caveat Review release notes for any feature changes between versions; standard upgrade procedure applies

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

Fix this in Pdf Tools Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,280
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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-2023-42085 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