CVE-2024-8841
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 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 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 in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-24432.
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 confidenceAn out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in PDF-XChange Editor's PDF file parsing logic due to insufficient validation of user-supplied data. The flaw allows reading past the end of an allocated buffer, leading to sensitive information disclosure. While the primary impact is information disclosure, the vulnerability can be chained with other flaws to achieve code execution in the current process context.
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
- 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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Locate PDF-XChange Editor installationSearch for 'PDF-XChange Editor.exe' in Program Files directories (both x86 and x64) or check Start Menu shortcuts for the installation path. Common path: C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange\PDF-XChange Editor\PDF-XChange Editor.exeAffected if The application is found at any installation path
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Identify installed version via executable propertiesRight-click the PDF-XChange Editor executable, select Properties, then view the Details tab to read the 'File version' or 'Product version' fieldAffected if Version displayed is 10.3.0.386 exactly
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Check version via Windows registryOpen regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PDF-XChange\ or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\PDF-Xchange\ for the 'Version' or 'Install_Version' valueAffected if Registry shows version 10.3.0.386
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Verify PDF-XChange PDF Tools versionCheck installed programs list in Windows Settings > Apps & Features, or Programs and Features in Control Panel, for 'PDF-XChange PDF Tools' entry and its versionAffected if PDF Tools version listed as 10.3.0.386
You are affected if PDF-XChange Editor or PDF-XChange PDF Tools version 10.3.0.386 is installed and the vendor patch has not been applied.
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 dataApply the vendor-supplied patch or update PDF-XChange Editor to the latest version; avoid opening PDF files from untrusted sources until patched.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-8841 — 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-2024-8841 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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