CVE-2024-8825
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 PDF File Parsing Out-Of-Bounds Read 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 PDF 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 buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-24263.
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 PDF file parsing functionality. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied data during PDF parsing, allowing an attacker to read past the end of an allocated buffer. This can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user process.
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= 10.3.0.386= 10.3.0.386CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed PDF-XChange productsOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or use PowerShell: Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Select-Object Name, Version. Look for 'PDF-XChange Editor' or 'PDF-XChange PDF Tools'.Affected if Either product is listed in installed programs
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Check PDF-XChange Editor versionIf installed, right-click the application shortcut > Properties > Details tab, or navigate to the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange Editor) and right-click the .exe > Properties > Details. Note the File Version.Affected if Version displayed is exactly 10.3.0.386
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Check PDF-XChange PDF Tools versionIf installed, locate the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange PDF Tools) and right-click any .exe file > Properties > Details. Note the File Version.Affected if Version displayed is exactly 10.3.0.386
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Verify PDF parsing functionality is in useConfirm the installed version handles PDF files. This is the default functionality of both affected products - no configuration change needed.Affected if The software is used to open or process PDF documents
A user is affected if PDF-XChange Editor or PDF-XChange PDF Tools version 10.3.0.386 is installed and used to process PDF 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 dataUsers should avoid opening untrusted or unexpected PDF files and should update PDF-XChange Editor to the latest version once a patch is available. Consider using alternative PDF readers or disabling PDF handling in browsers as a temporary workaround.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-8825 — 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-2024-8825 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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