CVE-2023-42106
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 EMF 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 EMF 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-22133.
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 confidenceOut-of-bounds read vulnerability in PDF-XChange Editor's EMF file parser. The lack of proper validation of user-supplied data during EMF parsing allows reading past the end of an allocated buffer, leading to sensitive information disclosure. While classified as information disclosure, the advisory notes 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= 10.1.0.380= 10.1.0.380CVSS 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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Confirm PDF-XChange Editor installationCheck for the presence of PDF-XChange Editor on the system. Common installation paths: C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange Editor or C:\Program Files (x86)\PDF-XChange Editor. Look for pdfxcview.exe or PDFXEdit.exeAffected if PDF-XChange Editor is installed
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Identify installed versionRight-click the PDF-XChange Editor executable (PDFXEdit.exe), select Properties, and view the Version tab. Alternatively, open the application, go to Help > About to display the version numberAffected if Version shown is 10.1.0.380 exactly
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Check PDF-XChange Pdf Tools versionIf PDF-XChange Pdf Tools (pdfxcnv.exe) is installed instead, check its version via right-click > Properties > Version, or run the tool with /? to display version infoAffected if Version shown is 10.1.0.380 exactly
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Verify EMF file handling capabilityOpen PDF-XChange Editor and attempt to verify if the application can process EMF (Enhanced Metafile) files. This is typically enabled by default for image import operationsAffected if EMF file parsing feature is available in the installed version
The environment is affected if PDF-XChange Editor or PDF-XChange Pdf Tools version 10.1.0.380 is installed and the application can process EMF files.
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 EMF files in PDF-XChange Editor. Apply vendor security updates when available. Consider using application sandboxing or isolation for handling untrusted files.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-42106 — 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-2023-42106 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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